


King

by lepetitselkie



Category: Overwatch (Video Game), おおかみこどもの雨と雪 | Ookami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki | The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki
Genre: Bisexual Hanzo Shimada, Dad Hanzo, Gen, M/M, Minor Character Death, Trans Jesse McCree, Werewolf Jesse McCree, cameos by ame and yuki from wolf children
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2019-08-21 12:02:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 64,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16576100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lepetitselkie/pseuds/lepetitselkie
Summary: "What matters most are the simple pleasures so abundant that we can all enjoy them...Happiness doesn't lie in the objects we gather around us. To find it, all we need to do is open our eyes.”― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little PrinceMany words could be used to describe Hanzo Shimada: assassin, archer, ex-yakuza, almost kinslayer... father.A story of love lost, then found again. Of family, lost and made anew. Of growth and all the pains that go along with it.





	1. -one-

**Author's Note:**

> This story is absolutely inspired by Fold Your Wings by Deviation https://archiveofourown.org/works/10043345/chapters/22380761#workskin 
> 
> It also takes inspiration and borrows characters from Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki.
> 
> You can find me on Twitter @petit_selkie

_“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”_

_―_ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **  


Hanzo isn’t sure what drove her to do it. Instinct, maybe, to get meat for their sick child. All he knows is that one moment she’s there, helping Hanzo tend to Kasumi, and the next she’s gone.

_An accident_ , they said, heads shaking as her body was taken away. Feathers clung to her fur. The neighbors brought food and more food and Kasumi, barely out of diapers, didn’t understand why mommy wasn’t there anymore. Her fever broke on the day of the funeral and Hanzo clung to her little form as the casket was lowered into the earth.

Words were said, he thinks. He can barely remember them. Can barely hear them over the rushing of his blood in his ears and Kasumi’s sniffles. All that’s left of Yuki is a headstone over six feet of soil and the child in Hanzo’s arms.

\--

Hanzo had met her at university. They were in the same math class-- Hanzo taking it for pleasure and Yuki as a necessity. Statistics weren’t her strong suit and she’d gone to him for help since he had the highest grade in the class and study sessions turned to coffee turned to lunch and dinner and, eventually, a date.

She was nothing like the women Hanzo’s father and the elders normally threw at him. Yuki was charming, a little mysterious, and studying to be a nurse. Her own mother had stayed at home until she began school with her brother and then worked at a nature reserve in Hokkaido.

“Your father?”

A shrug, “He died, mama doesn’t talk about it much.”

Yuki had a younger brother, too, but he couldn’t be more different than Genji. “He’s…” she had paused, sipping her tea thoughtfully, “He was very serious, as a child.” Apparently he’d moved out young and become a recluse up in the mountains.

“He visited mama, sometimes. He kept in touch in his own way. I haven’t seen him since she passed.”  

\--

Yuki still owned that little house up in the mountains, it butted up against the nature reserve and the land was beautiful, she said.

She told stories of deep winter snows, growing their own produce, playing in the woods with her brother.

Hanzo told stories of cherry blossoms in spring, sneaking sweets from the kitchen, training with his brother in the dojo.

She knew that he was a Shimada, and what that meant, but when he tried to warn her off she’d simply replied that she was made of tougher stuff than that. It wasn’t too long afterwards that he found out what she had meant.

\--

They were at his apartment, just off campus. Yuki and Hanzo were treading a thin line-- Sojiro was glad that his eldest was finally, _finally_ interested in a girl but she was low class.

_“Hanzo, she doesn’t have any family. Her brother is some recluse in the wilderness. I’m happy you’re showing interest but you need to let her go before you graduate.”_

_“Father, she’s different. I don’t care about her background.”_ _  
_ _“Let her go, son.”_

His father’s words swirled in his head, making it impossible to pay attention to the movie. It was an American film about a six-armed Omnic cowboy, but that’s all he knew. Suddenly he felt a poke in his side. “Hey!”

Yuki pouted up at him, “You’re not paying attention.”

“I am.”

She paused the movie and turned to face him fully. “You’re not. Talk to me?” Hanzo pulled her close and buried his face in her russet hair, shaking his head. Yuki sighed and gently pulled away. “I have something to show you.”

“What is it?” She got off the couch and inexplicably began to move the coffee table out of the way.

“Close your eyes.” Hanzo frowned but obeyed. Yuki was often cryptic, especially about her past, but he had learned to trust in her and her quiet nature. He could hear the gentle shuffling of her feet on the carpet and the soft sigh of fabric moving. Was she undressing? What sort of surprise was this? “Keep your eyes closed.”

“I am.” More shuffling, a long exhale and Hanzo peeked, unable to help himself.

Yuki was transforming.

\--

Lycanthropy had always been a rare affliction, and of course it was misunderstood at first. There was no changing at the full moon, although lycans often felt a spiritual connection to it. In modern times, it was discovered to be a sort of virus-- transmitted through contact with blood and saliva and across the placenta.

Doctors created a treatment that rendered people with lycanthropy non contagious and a vaccine to keep it that way. Through a powerful campaign nearly 90% of lycans were treated and rendered “safe” from passing on the virus through blood and saliva. However, any child born from an infected mother would still be a lycan.

A mandatory vaccination process for all lycan infants meant that before they began school they were no longer contagious and given boosters before they hit puberty to keep it that way.

In the 2020’s there wasn’t a single case of acquired lycanthropy in the developed world. It was considered one of the greatest public health victories since the eradication of polio and the guinea worm.

Around the world, the instance of lycanthropy (either acquired or congenital) tended to be higher in North America, Europe and northern Asia and Russia. Cases in Japan were extremely isolated and thought to have dropped off since the extinction of the Honshu and Ezo wolves in the 18- and 1900’s.

\--

Needless to say, Hanzo hadn’t been expecting this. Yuki changed from a petit, pleasantly curvaceous woman to…

A medium sized, russet wolf with tan markings around her face and belly. Her fur was thick and shining with good health. She boofed quietly and shifted, just a little, until she was more bipedal and sat beside him on the couch. “This is me. I’m sorry I kept it from you.” Her muzzle made talking a little difficult, her voice a little deeper.

She was beautiful. Hanzo shook his head, “It’s still you. You’re stunning.”

Yuki looked at him, gold eyes full of hope. “You’re not afraid?”

“Never.”

\--

Yuki told him the story in snippets throughout the night. Her father was a descendent of the Honshu wolf-- among the last of his kind. She wasn’t sure if her own lycanthropy was acquired from him or not, since her mother was human, but in the end, it didn’t matter.

They spent the night together, fingers threading through soft fur and trading gentle sighs.

\--

Hanzo graduated with honors in business that winter and slipped away from his handlers for just long enough to watch Yuki cross the stage and receive her own diploma. She was glowing; resplendent even in the polyester cap and gown.

A firm hand on his shoulder reminded him of his responsibility, though, and with a heavy heart, Hanzo turned away and was led into a black SUV. Back to Hanamura and the weight of being kumicho pressing on his shoulders.

\--

On a humid summer morning in September, a child was born in Hokkaido with a powerful cry and a wolf’s tail.

Yuki looked at the condensation forming on the windows and called her _Kasumi_ , running her fingers along one small, furry ear.

\--

On Children’s Day, Hanzo murdered his brother and then turned his dragons loose on the castle grounds. His legs were ruined and what’s left of the household drug him to the hospital (the doctors are too afraid to ask questions) while, unbeknownst to the new oyabun, a Blackwatch strike team collected the remains of Shimada Genji.

\--

It takes seven months for Hanzo’s legs to heal. He’d been fitted with permanent prosthetics and he had metal pins and plates from hip to the remainder of his knees. Genji had not gone down without a fight.

Hanzo doesn’t return from the hospital. He takes money from his secure account and flees in the night. He doesn’t have a destination in mind, only that he wants-- needs-- to get as far from Hanamura and the memories of his shattered family as soon as possible.

He boarded a hypertrain headed north and found himself, nine weeks later, at a small clinic in a little no-name town in Hokkaido. He’s shivering with a fever on an exam table, eyes hollow and bruised from lack of sleep. He looked up as a nurse came in and nearly collapsed right there when he sees familiar golden eyes and dark hair pulled into a braid over her shoulder.

“Yuki?”

\--

Yuki had returned home after graduating. She understood why Hanzo had to leave, not that it made it any easier, and coped by throwing herself into her work. The little clinic in town needed help and she spent her days mostly tending farming injuries and dealing with run of the mill child illnesses. It was fulfilling, she said, giving back to the community that had raised her.

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

Hanzo shook his head, unable to speak.

“Come home with me.” Her hands squeezed his, “You need rest and a proper meal. Besides… there is something you need to know.”

“Know?” Hanzo felt dazed. What could he need to know, after all this time?

Yuki pulled out her phone and showed him the lock screen. A beautiful baby dressed in pink and yellow with a wide, happy smile and most of a cupcake smeared on her face. “Her name is Mamiya Kasumi.”

“Mamiya?” his voice was faint.

“I didn’t think you’d want your family finding her, considering how you spoke of them, so I kept my last name. But she’s yours. Ours.”

\--

She convinced him to stay. None of the remaining Shimada-gumi knew where he was and certainly wouldn’t think of looking for him in a small agricultural community.

The first several months were hard. Hanzo didn’t know how to be a person anymore, much less a _father_. He had murdered his brother and came from a legacy of ninja and assassins. He didn’t deserve this happy child, this domestic tranquility.

Some nights Yuki woke to find Hanzo in the kitchen, eyes damp and nursing a bottle of cheap sake.

“I killed him, my own brother,” he whispered in the wee hours of the morning at their small kitchen table. Kasumi was asleep in their bedroom, innocent. Too innocent for his blood-soaked hands. Yuki sat across from him in a rumpled yukata. She needed to work in the morning, needed to be asleep.

Yet.

“Do you regret it?” She placed her small hand over his, gently moving it away from the bottle.

“Every day,” Hanzo whispered.

“Then honor his memory,” Yuki squeezed his fingers. “Be the man he wanted you to be, help me raise our child the way you should have been raised.”

Hanzo bowed his head and clung to her delicate hands like a lifeline.

\--

Things got better slowly. Hanzo learned how to take care of the land, make household repairs and cook simple meals. Yuki worked during the day and came home at night to a warm dinner and, usually, a clean and happy baby.

The less said about the paint incident the better, in Hanzo’s opinion.

There were still nights where Hanzo woke from nightmares, but Yuki would shift and curl around him and Kasumi, comforting him with her warmth.

\--

He began to get restless, though. Yuki set up a target range and bought him a beautiful bow and quiver.

“This is too much.”

“It’s what you need.”

It was. Hanzo spent his mornings meditating and practicing kyudo. Soon after, he began taking contracts and researching what was left of his clan. They were insidious, like roaches in his absence.

“I have certain skills, I need to cut off the head of the dragon.”

“Just come home to me, please.”

\--

Every year he leaves home and returns to honor Genji’s memory at the Shimada castle. He breaks in, killing only as necessary, and burns incense at the shrine to his brother. He hopes he is honoring him; he wonders what Genji would think of Yuki. Of Kasumi. Hanzo prays he can be the father Sojiro never was and the man his brother believed him to be.

\--

“Kasumi-chan, Kasumi-chan, shh. Shhh.” Hanzo bounces the toddler gently as he holds her against his shoulder. She’s been fussy all morning and her temperature is high. Yuki brought home a few kit tests from work yesterday and it’s looking like maybe a mild flu or a bad cold.

“It’s not strep, thank goodness,” she sighs as the timer goes off and the kit shows a negative. “Do you think you can get her to eat something? Maybe I should pick up formula so she can get some nutrients…” Yuki chews on her lip.

“I can handle it,” Hanzo soothes as Kasumi decides to shift in his arms. It takes some juggling to keep a hold of the girl-turned-puppy, but he manages it as he leans over to press a kiss to Yuki’s temple. “Go to work, you don’t need to miss another day.”

“Are you sure? I’m sure Ito-san would understand.”

“Yes, now go. You’re already late.” Yuki turns her face up for a proper kiss and manages to give one to a wiggly Kasumi. “She has the energy to shift, she’ll be fine.”

\--

It’s late. Yuki should be home by now.

Kasumi is asleep in their bedroom, Hanzo had gotten some baby Tylenol for her fever and managed to put her down almost two hours ago. He calls Yuki’s phone and gets no answer.

Have the Shimada found him? The red-and-black assassin that decimated the clan elders and lieutenants? His stomach churns as he rushes to the door, hoping against hope to see Yuki’s car rolling up the hill.

He almost trips on a bag in the doorway. “What?” Hanzo kneels down and frowns. It’s a shopping bag with baby formula, pedialyte and canned peaches. Kasumi’s purse is there, too, with all her things. The car isn’t there, though. Hanzo’s blood runs cold.

\--

_An accident,_ they said.

Yuki’s car was found a few kilometers up the road, near a hiking trail. Her body was found by police as they canvassed the area a day later. She was at the bottom of a sheer drop with feathers in her fur and blood on her muzzle.


	2. -two-

_ “But if you come at just any time, I shall never know at what hour my heart is to be ready to greet you.”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


Genji’s invitation is impossible-- not only because Genji is  _ dead _ but because he cannot simply pick a side. Hanzo’s life is no longer his own, he has to think about what would be best for his child. His  _ child _ . 

In the ensuing years since Yuki’s death Hanzo had taken Kasumi and traveled around the world; taking contracts to pay their way and struggling through raising her as best as he could. They had a few close calls with the remainder of the Shimada-gumi as well as their enemies, enough that Hanzo never settled anywhere for more than a year. 

Hopping from place-to-place took its toll on them and the invitation to have somewhere to stay, permanently, is tempting. Kasumi needs that kind of structure, but is a para-military base full of vigilantes really the best thing for her? For Hanzo? These people considered themselves heroes, doling out justice and defying the Petras act. Hanzo is just an assassin trying to keep his daughter out of danger. 

\--

It takes less than a week for Hanzo to get up to Hokkaido in search of his brother-in-law. He’d rented a van and packed it with all their belongings and drove up Japan to the house the Mamiya family still owned. 

After Yuki’s death Hanzo had left a note for Ame saying that he could have the house if he wished, that Hanzo would keep up payments on the land and return to make repairs as needed, and left a phone hidden in the wolf’s former bedroom in case he needed to contact them. In the seven years since, he hadn’t heard a peep. 

Not that he hadn’t met the reclusive wolf. Ten nights after Hanzo moved in with Yuki he received a spook in the form of Ame appearing in the genkan at midnight to warn him that this year’s monsoon would be severe and to prepare the house. The wolf had also overwintered with them a few times, spending most of the time furred and curled under the kotatsu. However, the visits were always on Ame’s terms and sporadic at best. Hanzo had no idea how to contact him otherwise. 

Kasumi is asleep in the back, curled up among two duffel bags and a wool haori she fished out of somewhere. Hanzo switches from auto to manual drive as they near the small town and paved roads give way to dirt and gravel. The house is the last one up on the mountain and the anti-grav struggles a little as they go up the poorly maintained road and turn down the dirt driveway. 

Yuki’s old Jeep is still there, growing vines, just as it had been a year ago. The house, however, looks like it’d been maintained recently. The roof has been repaired and the storm shutters look like they’d been opened recently. “Kasumi.”

“Mmn,” she grumbles and sits up, short hair in disarray from being squished against a duffle bag for a couple hours. “Are we there yet?”

“Do you remember Ame-jichan’s scent?” Kasumi nods and starts to unbutton her dress so she can shift.

“Yeah. Do I gotta find him?”

Hanzo waits until she’s shifted to turn back and look at her. “I need you to stay close to me in the house and tell me if you smell him or someone else.” She nods and clambers over the center console to get out the drivers’ side door after her father. 

Watching her stretch and sniff the air, Hanzo is struck by how much she resembled her mother. Kasumi’s hair (and fur) is a few shades darker but she had the same light brown marks on her face and pale belly as Yuki. “It smells like Ame-jichan,” Kasumi rumbles as her tail sets to wagging. 

The pair searches the house and finds that while it’d recently been cleaned, there are no other traces of the wolf. Hanzo and Kasumi make a quick run to the local grocery store seeing as the vegetable garden is mostly weeds now and pick up some provisions for a couple of days. 

\--

They’re eating yakisoba for dinner when Kasumi finally asks, “Why do you need to see Ame-jichan? Are we gonna be moving back in?” Hanzo frowns around his food, hating that he has to break the hope clearly written on her face. 

“No, we’re not moving back in. Do you remember when I got back from the castle?”

“Mm. You said you’d seen a ghost.” Hanzo nods. He hadn’t told her that the ghost is Genji, unsure that he believed it himself at the time, but he’d returned to the little hotel with a flash drive and a tremor in his hands. 

“Well, I received an invitation to join an… organization. I’d like to have Ame-san’s advice before I send my reply.”

Kasumi looks skeptical, “What advice would Ame-jichan have about joining an organization?” Hanzo didn’t know himself, but he feels like he needs to speak to  _ someone  _ about this and all he has left is a nine year old child and her elusive uncle. At least Ame is an adult. 

\--

Hanzo is sitting out on the engawa with a cup of tea when he spies movement among the bushes at the tree-line. A man emerges in dark sweats and a white shirt with a stretched collar.

“Good evening,” he dips his head in greeting and pours another cup of tea. “Please, sit.” Ame looks at Hanzo with his strange, blue eyes for a moment and slowly sits beside him but doesn’t touch the tea. 

“You’ve been calling.” Ame’s voice is rough with disuse. Hanzo notices that his hair is longer, curling on top of his shoulders and he has stubble on his jaw. 

“I did not think you’d been around to notice. Why didn’t you answer?”

Ame huffs at that and shakes his head and Hanzo purses his lips. He is much like his late sister in that way, avoiding questions and giving little in the way of information. His body language is hard to read now; the man spent most of his time as a wolf and cared little for human interaction or social niceties. 

“I am in need of advice. My…” he pauses, unable to say  _ brother _ , “A man calling himself Genji came to me at the Shimada castle and extended an invitation to join Overwatch. He thinks I can do good for their organization.”

“Mm. And Kasumi?”

“I do not know. I haven’t told him about her, I do not want to.”

A sharp look. “You must trust this man somewhat to even consider this invitation.” Hanzo bows his head.

“He turned my dragons back on me. Only a Shimada can control the dragons. I want to believe it’s him… I want to have a place where Kasumi can grow up in safety without moving every year. Maybe even let her go to school with other children instead of online…” he shakes his head. “I don’t know. I want this for her, but-- I don’t know. Overwatch is a military organization, now a vigilante organization, and I can’t be sure that it  _ will  _ be safe. All that’s not even taking into account the man calling himself Genji.” 

Ame stays silent throughout, gazing off into the distance. “Follow what your instinct says. Invite him here to meet Kasumi if you wish. But she would be safer if she had any skills as a wolf.”

\-- 

He creeps into the bedroom and chuckles at how Kasumi is sprawled out on the futon like a starfish. It is a testament to how safe she feels that she sprawls out instead of curling in on herself like a shrimp. Hanzo gently scoots her over and rearranges the blankets to cover them both. 

Kasumi had partly shifted in her sleep, fuzzy ears on top of her head and sharp nails digging into the pillow as she hugs it to her chest. Was Hanzo depriving her of an entire side of herself like Ame had suggested? It isn’t like he hadn’t taught her how to defend herself, though. She might not have had the same intensive training that he and Genji had but she could use a knife and had a little plasma pistol. Did she need skills as a wolf, did she even want them? Hanzo isn’t sure. 

He rolls over and doesn’t sleep well that night. 

\--

In the morning Hanzo slips out of the bed and riffles through his bag to find the flash drive Genji had left him. He plugs it into his datapad and a message pops up. 

_ Overwatch Recall  _

_ [Y] [N] _

He isn’t ready to commit to a decision and navigates away from the window to see what else is on the little drive. There is a map with coordinates, which he’d seen, and what looks like a chat program that he’d overlooked. He clicks on it and it immediately begins a video call; Hanzo starts and movs into the kitchen so the sound won’t wake Kasumi. The call connects to Genji in a room full of people. 

_ “Hanzo?” _ His voice is almost as Hanzo remembers it, with just a hint of tinny reverb that makes his chest clench painfully.  _ He  _ had done that. He schools his features and tries to ignore the people attempting to peek over the cyborg’s shoulder. 

“Yes. I have given your invitation some consideration and I need more information from you before I come to a decision.” 

_ “Now hold on-- who the hell does he think he is demandin’ information-” _

_ “Be quiet, McCree, let him ask his questions. He has a right--” _ _   
_ _ “A right to what? The only right he has is to--” _

“Enough!” Hanzo snaps. “I wish to speak to Genji in privacy.” 

_ “Of course, anija.” _

_ “Hold on a minute, I don’t think that’s a good idea Genji-kun.” _ _   
_ _ “What is he going to do, Jesse? Attack me through the screen?”  _

Hanzo watches as Genji stands with what is either a comm or a datapad and he gets a glimpse of some of the people in the room: what looks like a cowboy cosplayer, a woman with light blonde hair, and a… gorilla? He doesn’t get a better chance to see though as Genji leaves the room for what looks like a hallway and then, judging from the blue sky, a balcony of some sort.

“Is this call secure?”

_ “Of course. It’s encrypted by an AI. Now what are your questions, anija?” _

An AI? Those were outlawed with the Petras Act… but then again, so was Overwatch. He shouldn’t be surprised that an illegal organization has an illegal AI. “What other security does this base have? I’d like a detailed map, as well as a topographical map of the area with the nearest city.” 

_ “We have drones that survey the perimeter, as well as pressure sensitive pads on roads and trails to alert us if anything heavier than a cat passes over them or if there’s any antigrav wheels within the vicinity. We also have sensors on the roofs as well as security cameras monitored by our AI and Winston. Athena just sent you two maps, one of the base itself and the other is a birds eye shot of the land around it.” _

He opens the attachments and notices that the base is, in fact, on a cliffside overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar and around it is marked as a nature preserve. The nearest city is across a wide expanse of wilderness, making it quite isolated. 

_ “Winston has an agreement with the local government to not disturb the local wildlife and to keep tourists away. There’s actually an endangered species of monkey on the peninsula that he is very protective of.”  _

“Are they aggressive?” he asks, remembering an incident in India with a group of small monkeys and Kasumi’s lunch. 

_ “Not at all. They’re more likely to run away than attack. They’re not habituated to humans.”   _

“Would this… Winston allow a non-combatant on base?”

Genji’s shoulders tense.  _ “It depends, I guess. Who is it?”  _

“Daddy!” Kasumi peeks into the kitchen, making Hanzo jump and nearly drop the datapad. “Ame-jichan is outside, can I get breakfast with him?” He sets the pad down and wanders to the window where he sees the grey wolf sitting in the yard. 

“You may. Stay close, though; within shouting distance and I want you to come back in an hour.” He trusts Ame, but there is too much in the woods that might hurt a child. If the restriction rankles Kasumi, she doesn’t show it. Instead, she beams at him and runs out to her uncle, shifting in her overly large tee shirt that Hanzo just knows will be ruined in less than ten minutes. 

He finds Genji with his faceplate off on the camera, pale with shock.  _ “Hanzo,  _ who  _ is that?”  _

“Your niece.” Genji’s eyes are comically wide. “Mamiya Kasumi. Nine years old.” Hanzo glances outside when he hears twin howls in the distance. “If Winston will allow it. I will come to your Overwatch with her.” 

\-- 

“Absolutely not,” Angela slams her hand down on the table. “This is no place for a child. I know you want your brother here, Genji, but I cannot support him placing a child in peril.” 

“What peril?” Genji holds his ground. “We have a full team of the baddest aunts and uncles a child could ask for to protect them. There’s all the extra security upgrades that Winston made plus the fact that the medbay and this room double as secure panic rooms. There’s arguably no place that’s safer for a child.” 

“Fareeha and my brood did just fine runnin’ around damn near every Watchpoint we had,” Torbjorn adds from his end of the table. “I don’t see why this tyke would be any different. There’s always gonna be at least one person on base to watch her, not that they need too much watchin’ at that age.”

“They need plenty of watchin’ around a base with active weaponry,” Jesse gives Torbjorn a dark look. “And I reckon Hanzo does, too. Havin’ a pup doesn’t erase what he did to Genji. I know you say you’ve forgiven him but I don’t want a man who can slaughter his own brother skulkin’ around where I sleep.” 

“Excuse me, but I haven’t been  _ slaughtered _ . I’m alive--”   
  
“No thanks to  _ him-- _ ”

“And I have  _ forgiven  _ my brother.  _ I _ am the slighted party and I should get the final say.” Genji stands to his full height and crosses his arms over his chest. “None of us are innocents, we all have stains on our pasts. I used to be yakuza as much as Hanzo. I killed for money and even less back then. I was a bad man, but I changed. I was given the  _ opportunity  _ to change.” That quiets some of the grumbles. Genji personally thinks that they like to forget his own checkered past because of his injuries but being  _ injured _ didn’t erase his misdeeds any more than Hanzo fathering a child erased his. “Honor resides in one’s actions. You’ve all seen that the hits Hanzo takes are people that were criminals-- human traffickers, drug runners, crime lords,  _ the Shimada-gumi _ . He deserves the chance to do good with us and redeem himself.” 

He looks at their faces one by one as they digest his words. “I agree with Genji here,” Reinhardt says uncharacteristically quietly. “Becoming a father changes a man, as Torbjorn can attest to, and we’ve dealt with children on base before. I see no reason why we cannot handle this one and no reasons to disallow Hanzo from coming here to better himself.” Torbjorn nods his agreement, as does Winston. 

Angela sighs and throws her hands up, “I still don’t like it, but there’s no changing your opinions. Fine. Let them come.”

All eyes turn to the cowboy and Jesse groans. “Fuckin- fine.  _ Fine _ . Stop givin’ me those puppy eyes, Genji-kun. I don’t like it either and I’m damn sure goin’ to keep an eye on him. If he steps even a toe out of line I won’t hesitate to do something about it.” 

Genji smiles and relaxes. “Thank you. I will tell him now.” 


	3. -three-

_ “What does tamed mean? It's something that's been too often neglected. It means to create ties.”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


“Absolutely not.” Winston’s normally genial expression darkens. “Hanzo is not going to just come waltzing into the compound, we’re going to pick him up with one of our drone planes.” Genji groans and drops his head onto the table as the group around him nods in agreement. 

“Hanzo isn’t going to allow an Overwatch plane anywhere near his homestead, wherever it is. It’d draw too much attention to a place that’s supposed to be  _ secret _ .”

“And we can’t allow an assassin with enemies potentially tracking him just walk into our own  _ secret  _ facility. Overwatch isn’t supposed to exist and there are people here with bounties on their heads,” Angela glances at McCree and clears her throat, “I have to agree with Winston, Genji.” 

“At least our planes have cloaking on them; we can land at night if it’ll appease him,” Winston tries. “ _ Or _ he can meet us at a neutral location and we can get him from there.” 

Genji picks up his comm with a sigh and stands, “I’ll talk to him.”

\--

“I told you, I won’t allow Overwatch to send a plane--no I don’t care how small or well-camouflaged it is-- to send a  _ plane  _ to the last safe place we have.” Hanzo is running a bath for Kasumi as he argues with Winston via Genji. “If Winston is amenable to it, I can meet him at a secure location in three days.” The water is nice and warm as he stands and picks up the datapad. “It will take at least that long to secure my homestead and travel if the pickup is at night.”

He turns the pad away as Kasumi trots in with dirt clumped in her fur and blood from her breakfast smeared over her muzzle. Hanzo has no idea how she managed to get so filthy in less than an hour and pities the park ranger that finds her (probably) shredded tee shirt among the brush. “Wash up and then you need to work on your homework.” He’s immune to the low whine that follows him out of the bathroom. 

“Am I not allowed to see her?” Genji asks with a touch of hurt. Hanzo hadn’t thought about it, he was just used to keeping Kasumi off camera. 

“I don’t think she would want your first impression of her to be of a puppy covered in dirt,” he says carefully. “I would prefer she meet her uncle in person.” 

“Does she know about me?” Hanzo’s face twists into a scowl. 

“From stories. I haven’t decided how to tell her that you’re… alive.” From what Hanzo could tell, Genji was more omnic than man now. Was he truly alive? How would Kasumi react to her uncle being an amalgamation of human and technology? Truly, Hanzo himself had a hard time processing it. He had seen what was left of Genji that night. How someone could have saved him… he had no idea. But after their confrontation in Hanamura there could be no doubt that this machine housed the soul of Genji Shimada at the very least. 

“You mentioned she has homework? Is she in an online class?” Hanzo is thankful for the change of subject. 

“Yes, she’s enrolled in an online Japanese school. The class moves at her pace, which is helpful as she’s a voracious reader. I think she’s fairly far ahead in both Japanese and English.” He can’t help but brag a little. “She got top marks for her last essay in world history as well.”

“And math?” Genji grins, “Is she a nerd like you?” 

“She’s struggling in math,” he ignores the jab, “Hopefully I’ll be better able to tutor her once we’re somewhere more stable.” 

\--

With Genji acting as an intermediary they agree on a location for the pickup and, while Kasumi washes up, Hanzo starts going through their belongings. They usually travel light and store things at the homestead but if they’re going to be relocating semi-permanently they need to bring their belongings instead of assuming they’ll be able to return. He packs both winter and summer clothes as well as extra bedding and at least one set of formal clothes each, just in case. He’s going through the kitchen when he hears Kasumi pad into the room. 

“Daddy?” He turns and finds Kasumi looking dejected with her tablet in her hands. 

“What is it?” 

“Kaho-sensei said we have to translate a whole book from Japanese to English! A  _ whole book _ !” Hanzo frowns and holds out his hand for the tablet. It seems like an awfully big challenge. 

“What book?” 

“The Little Prince. Have you heard of it?” Kasumi selects the book from her downloaded library for school and Hanzo sighs in relief. 

“It isn’t a very long book and it’s full of good life lessons. You’ll enjoy it. Besides, you need to get into the habit of using English anyway.”

She wrinkles her nose, “Do they only speak English at this organization? What is it?”

He hands back the tablet, “Overwatch.” Kasumi’s eyes go wide with excitement. “The man who extended the invitation was your Genji-ojisan. He…” Hanzo’s throat gets tight and he has to turn away, “he somehow survived his accident without my knowledge.”

“You said he died, though.” 

“I thought he did. He is… Genji-ojisan is different now. He has a lot of prosthetics, so don’t be rude when you see him. Not just his legs, but most of his body.” Hanzo knows his explanation is halting and unsatisfactory but Kasumi seems to take his word and nods slowly as she digests the new information. Shockingly, she smiles and grabs Hanzo’s hand.    
  
“Daddy, you’re going to be in  _ Overwatch _ ?”

“It seems like it,” he squeezes her hand back. “What do you think?”

“I think it’s great. You can be a hero to the whole world now.” 

\--

It takes a day to pack up their things into the van and close up the house. They clean everything, store the futons and bedding they’re leaving behind, and shutter the house to protect it from the elements. Hanzo decides to leave the kitchen supplies in case Ame chooses to winter in the house again, although he hasn’t seen the wolf since their conversation. Still, he leaves an encrypted phone and note for him before burying the keys near the weeping cherry tree Yuki planted over a decade ago. 

Leaving is harder than Hanzo thought. He takes one last look at the property before he gets into the van; this was the home that raised his tiny family. The vegetable gardens were overgrown now and the grass was tall and sometimes the roof needed fixing but it had been their  _ home _ . It had been more of a home to Hanzo than Shimada castle had ever been. He has a day of driving to do, though, so he turns away and climbs into the small van where Kasumi is making a bed between the duffle bags. 

There are no words as they drive away, just the hum of the engine and a howl in the distance. 

\--

They take a winding route to the Sakotan Penninsula, often doubling back and switching cars to keep any trouble off of their tail. The pickup is near an abandoned dock at midnight and Hanzo has been assured that while the plane itself is a drone, there will be a member of Overwatch there to ride with them. Kasumi is watching a video on her tablet in the car as they wait while Hanzo stands outside, keeping one eye on the skies. “Who do you think will be flying with us?” she leans out the window and looks up at the stars. “I hope it’s Genji-ojisan. Do you think he’ll like me?”

“I believe it will probably be Genji, yes. He is the only one I have spoken with directly.” Hanzo ruffles Kasumi’s short hair “And of course he will like you. He has been excited to finally meet you.” 

“Is what I’m wearing okay?” she has probably asked it at least twelve times and each time Hanzo has said it’s fine as long as she can sleep in it. Kasumi picked a shimmery pink tee shirt dress with multicolor leggings in a Southwestern geometric pattern. Hanzo had no real eye for fashion since black and grey went with everything, so he tended to let Kasumi have free reign on what colors and patterns she paired together. She had even picked out his current coat: blue and black with a wide collar and plenty of hidden pockets. There was also a smattering of stickers on his guitar case as well as a few buttons along the strap. 

“Yes, Kasumi-chan, you look fine. You’ve looked fine all night,” Hanzo sighs as he peers up at the sky. Any further conversation is halted at the sound of engines humming in the distance. “Kasumi. In the car.”

“But Dad-”

“Obey me, get in the car and get out of sight.” Kasumi does as she was told with a grumble as a small plane descends from the sky. The exterior becomes visible as it deactivates its exterior mirrored panels. It is a sleek matte grey with the Overwatch logo on the side and rotating blades embedded into the wing. Hanzo takes a slight step backwards as the back hatch opens and a figure emerges.

It is definitely the cyborg from Hanzo’s encounter in Hanamura but he has changed his armor from grey and white to a pale sky blue that compliments his green running lights. “Brother?” his face is revealed to be the same one that Hanzo had seen on the video calls three days ago as he steps down from the plane. 

“Genji,” he meets the cyborg halfway, standing awkwardly for a moment before Genji suddenly pulls Hanzo into a tight hug. 

“I have missed you, brother. I am glad you decided to join me.” Hanzo nods stiffly and pats Genji’s back. “Now where is my mysterious niece?” Genji peers around his brother to where Kasumi is emerging from the car.

Hanzo gives her a stern look, “I didn’t give you the all-clear signal.”

“It didn’t  _ look  _ like he was putting a knife in you,” Kasumi replies flippantly, making Genji laugh. 

“Brother! I  _ like  _ her.” Genji trots over to the car to get a better look at his niece. She is short, although he admittedly isn’t sure how tall nine year olds are supposed to be, with willowy limbs and a pixie haircut. He had been surprised by Hanzo’s contemporary look but he never expected it to carry over into his child. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

Kasumi bows, “Mamiya Kasumi. Daddy told me a little about you. Thank you for letting us come with you to Overwatch.” Genji can’t stop the smile that blooms on his face. 

“We’re all very excited to have you. Do you need help getting your things?” Hanzo had walked back and is unloading the car: two duffle bags, a single suitcase, his guitar case and two bedrolls. 

The plane is loaded with small talk between the brothers: the weather, the plane, where to leave the car, how long the flight would be. Kasumi is made comfortable in one of the seats along the wall with her tablet and a blanket around her shoulders. “Genji-ojisan, do you want to watch a movie with me?”

Genji sets the coordinates for Gibraltar and sits beside her as the plane goes through its checks and closes the bay door. “Sure, what movies do you have?” Hanzo sits across from them and opens his own datapad, sneaking a quick photo of Kasumi and Genji leaning over the tablet together. 

“Let’s watch My Neighbor Totoro. Daddy says its a classic.” 

The two lean into each other as the movie plays, Genji glancing up at his brother as if he expects the elder Shimada to disappear. They go through half of another movie before even Kasumi’s excitement can’t keep her awake anymore. She nods off and neither man speaks until she is breathing deeply and evenly, sound asleep.

“She is beautiful,” Genji murmurs, petting her short hair. “She looks like you.”

“She has her mother’s nose,” Hanzo whispers. 

“Her mother?”

Hanzo shakes his head, “An accident when Kasumi was three.”

“I’m sorry. It must have been hard.”

“Do not be. Every moment has been precious to me.” Genji nods and looks down at the child asleep against his side. So trusting, despite everything she’d been through. He hopes that they could protect that innocence in this new organization of heroes. 


	4. -four-

_ “Grown ups never understood anything by themselves. And it is rather tedious to have to explain things to them time and again”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


Watchpoint: Gibraltar looks like it had been built into the sheer cliffside overlooking the ocean. It is taller than it is wide, with an honest to gods rocket pointed up at the heavens as if it was going to blast off any day now. The surrounding area is cordoned off with fences and walls and Hanzo notices a few little white drones flying around the perimeter like gulls. The landing pad has a small crowd waiting for them and Hanzo can see inside that there are a few cars, trucks and, inexplicably, a bright red hovercycle in the wide hangar as the plane comes in for a landing. 

Kasumi groans from her seat and rubs her eyes. She’d slept for most of the flight but had woken and been ill a few times during a bit of turbulence over the Middle East. She has dark circles under her eyes and whines into Hanzo’s side as the plane finishes its descent. “Angela should have something to settle her stomach,” Genji soothes as Hanzo rubs circles into her back. “I didn’t think she would get airsick.”

Hanzo shakes his head, “Nor did I. Normally she’s very good on flights.” The plane shudders a little as the engines power down and the bay door lowers, letting the light inside the small space. It had been a long sixteen hours, mostly spent doing maintenance on Stormbow and Kasumi’s pistol, refusing new contracts, and moving money around his many secure accounts. He thought he was mentally prepared for meeting Genji’s… coworkers? Teammates? But with Kasumi suddenly getting airsick he is frazzled and all he wants is to get her in a real bed and some medicine in her. 

He wraps an arm around her and follows Genji down and into the warm Spanish sun. Waiting for them is the gorilla, Winston, a woman in a lab coat with pale blonde hair in a high tail, another woman in shocking yellow tights with a glowing blue device strapped to her chest and the cowboy cosplayer. The cowboy sniffs the air a little and settles his hands at his obscenely large belt buckle as Hanzo and Kasumi come into view. 

“Welcome to Watchpoint: Gibraltar,” Winston ambles forward and gives a little bow to the pair. “My apologies that everyone couldn’t come to greet you, Torbjorn Lindholm and Reinhardt Wilhelm are busy in the workshop. Torbjorn is our resident engineer and Reinhardt is a former Crusader.” Hanzo nods and wishes that he would hurry up with the introductions. Kasumi is perking up a little in the fresh air but she is still a bit green. 

The ape turns and holds out his arm, “These are our current members! Angela Ziegler, our doctor; Lena Oxton, a pilot; and Jesse McCree, a sharpshooter.” Each person nods in turn and Jesse tips his hat. He makes eye contact with Kasumi as she scents the air and gives her a wink. 

“I am Shimada Hanzo and this is Mamiya Kasumi,” he gives a short bow. “We thank you for allowing us onto your base. I apologize for my rudeness but the flight did not agree with Kasumi and I’d like to get her settled first.”

“Did she get airsick?” Any distaste Angela might have for her sire doesn’t show as she falls into step with them towards the base. “I can get her situated in the med bay with some anti nausea medication if you’d like. She can rest there while you get your rooms settled.” 

“I would appreciate that, thank you Doctor Ziegler.” Hanzo wraps an arm around Kasumi’s shoulders and leads her inside behind the doctor with Genji. The walk to the medbay is silent and a little tense. Hanzo can tell that Doctor Ziegler has something to say, maybe a lot to somethings to say, but is holding her tongue in front of the child. Hanzo can’t help but notice how close Genji is to the doctor, how their hands gently brush every now and again. 

Hanzo is impressed by the base as he follows the pair along; the hallways are clean and they pass a rec room that he sees has a holotank, couch and several shelves of real books. Hanzo also spies a sign that shows where the kitchens and dining facilities are as well as the gym and shooting range. The medbay itself is bright, sterile white with blue curtains separating a row of hospital beds and a doorway to what looks like a small laboratory and drawing room. The main exam space has an airy feel with wide windows and not a lot of clutter. Doctor Ziegler has Kasumi step on a scale to get her height and weight, “Just so you get the right dose of medicine, dear,” and then lets her lay down on the bed with a window view. 

Kasumi’s exhaustion is catching up to her now that she’s laying on an actual mattress and she yawns hugely while the doctor unlocks a medicine cabinet and measures out a dose of liquid medication. “Drink this, it will help settle your stomach.” Kasumi downs it like a shot, startling a laugh out of the doctor. “It doesn’t taste  _ that  _ bad, does it?” 

“I didn’t wanna find out,” she coughs a little and leans back against the pillows. “Daddy, will you come back soon?”

Hanzo smooths her hair back from her forehead, “As soon as I can. Genji-ojisan will stay with you while I get our rooms settled and I talk to the other agents. You’re safe in here, just get some sleep.” She nods and rolls onto her side, clutching one pillow against her chest and nuzzling into the other. Angela waits unobtrusively as Hanzo stays until Kasumi is drifting off before leaving her side. He quietly tells Genji to stay with her until he returns.

“I promise I will not leave her side, brother. You do not need to worry.” Hanzo will worry anyway, but he nevertheless follows Angela out of the medbay. 

\--

The conference room is full when Hanzo and Angela enter. Torbjorn and Reinhardt are seated at the end of the table together, Lena on Winston’s right hand side, McCree sitting at the left. “How’s the pup?” the cowboy asks as Hanzo takes a seat beside him. 

Hanzo frowns slightly at the word choice, “She is doing better. I think some rest in a bed will do her well.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Lena gives a strained smile. “I know long flights can be hard on kids sometimes.” 

There’s an awkward silence before Winston clears his throat and adjusts himself on his tire. “Lena and Jesse took the liberty of putting your things in yours and Miss Kasumi’s rooms. After this you’re free to settle in but,” he adjusts his glasses and barrels forward, “well, given your, er,  _ past  _ with Genji, we decided that after a brief adjustment period for you and your daughter, that we’d like to have a three month trial period to see how well you work with the team before sending you out on missions. That means you’d be expected in training sims for individual stat collection as well as on group training sessions. You’ll also be expected to help clean up around the base, ah, making it more habitable for more agents to come on board, as well as go into a cooking rotation. We use dinner as a team building event so everyone takes a turn making evening meals.”

Hanzo nods slowly, “Of course. I must ask, are we expecting many more agents? I was under the impression that we are violating the Petras Act.” 

It’s Reinhardt who speaks up, “ _ Ja _ , we are looking to recruit and Winston is in talks with the UN to reinstate Overwatch officially since Talon is on the rise. The world needs us!”

Torbjorn huffs and gives the giant a gentle swat with his claw, “You’re blinded by heroics and forgot basic manners. We haven’t had a chance to meet, I’m Torbjorn and this brute here is Reinhardt.  I saw your wee lass on the CCTV from down in the workshop, she’s lovely. If she’s still feeling out of sorts I have some ginger ale you’re welcome to.” 

The archer visibly starts and bows his head, “Thank you. It is a pleasure to meet you both. Once Kasumi is feeling better I will introduce you properly.”

Angela pulls a datapad from her coat pocket, grabbing Hanzo’s attention. “I will need to do a full physical exam on you for battle readiness as well as to gather baseline health information. I’d like to do an exam on Kasumi as well, if you have her medical records, and give her any boosters she might be missing. I’d also like you to fill out a standard psychological evaluation required by all new agents.” At Hanzo’s dark expression she adds, “Of course all of your health records, including your psychological records, are completely confidential. I will not let any  _ personal  _ feelings about your past with Genji impede my professionalism or care.” 

“Angela,” Reinhardt warns. 

“No, I think we’ve avoided the elephant in the room long enough,” McCree leans forward. “I think I can speak for the room at large when I say that I don’t trust you, or even particularly like you all that much, Shimada-san. I can be civil because I’m an adult and for the little one’s sake, but you got a lot to make up for. Two people here were part of the team that rescued Genji ten years ago and that’s hard to forget. It’s hard to forgive. I know Genji says he’s moved past it but we ain’t yet.”

Hanzo knew this was coming, but it doesn’t make it easier. “I understand. I only ask that you tolerate me for Genji and Kasumi’s sake. I will do whatever is in my power to assist your organization and to earn your trust.” 

\--

It’s the cowboy, Jesse McCree, who ends up escorting Hanzo to his living quarters with an awkward silence hanging between them. “So, Winston and Lena decided that since there’s not a lot of us, that there’s no point in clearing out the dorms just yet. These actually used to be officers’ rooms so you won’t have to share a bedroom with anyone.” Jesse comes to a stop at a door near the end of the hall. “Genji-kun’s right across the hallway from you and you’ll be sharing a bathroom with Kasumi. Uh, each set of rooms has one bathroom in the middle. The keypad has a biometric scanner and Athena’ll allow you to have an override for Kasumi since she’s just a kid. Angela also has an override for the rooms but only for medical emergencies so otherwise the only one who can unlock your door is you.” 

Hanzo nods and places his palm against the scanner. It turns red and then green as it registers his handprint and they do the same for Kasumi’s door. The rooms themselves are fairly spacious with a closet, desk, dresser and full size bed. The bathroom has a double sink and a standing shower along with the toilet and a small linen closet. There are standard issue towels in the bathroom and sheets on the bed. “I’ll leave you to it. There’s a comm waiting for you with Genji-kun in the medbay. Dinner’s at 1900 with Reinhardt cookin’. See you around, Shimada-san.” He’s left alone, finally, to unpack. 

First is Kasumi’s room. He lays out the bedding on the bed--grey with little yellow birds--then starts hanging dresses in the closet. She prefers dresses now, mostly because they’re easier to shift in, and has a multitude of colors and patterns. Hanzo also hangs up her yukata and kimono, smoothing out the wrinkles and folding the obi inside to hang with them. Leggings, pants and underwear go in the dresser as well as socks and tights. 

Hanzo’s belongings are far less colorful and less numerous. He has a few pairs of pants, a few shirts, a couple training gi and undergarments. There’s also a single black suit with a blue vest that he hasn’t touched in years. He sighs and decides that Kasumi has waited long enough. The way to the medbay isn’t complicated, not with the signs periodically placed in the halls, so he doesn’t need anyone to show him the way. 

Dr Ziegler is at her desk in the medbay, typing something up as Kasumi sleeps under Genji’s watchful eye. “Ah, Mr Shimada, please, come in.” She gestures for him to go into the exam room and sit on the paper table. “I’m going to do a basic physical as well as draw some blood to get a complete picture of your health. The psychological exam is a questionnaire that will measure your personality, intellectual aptitude and attitude.” Hanzo allows the doctor to test his reflexes, perform a basic neurological test, measure his height and weight and take blood samples. 

As soon as she’s done, Hanzo returns to Kasumi’s bedside where Genji is perched on a chair beside her. He gets handed a comm from Genji, “This has the assessment downloaded onto it along with everyone’s contact information. Kasumi-chan has one, too.” 

“Speaking of Miss Mamiya,” Angela picks up a tablet, “Do you have her medical records?”

“Yes, it’s all on this drive,” Hanzo hands Angela a datastick. “It will require my fingerprint to open and then a password but its all her medical information since birth.” He opens the files once Angela plugs it into her tablet and moves to the small extra chair to fill out the assessment on the datapad he’s been handed. 

Genji gently wakes the sleeping girl. “Kasumi-chan, heeeey, wakey-wakey,” he sing-songs and shakes her shoulder. Hanzo rolls his eyes and taps her foot.

“Mmnh. ‘m tired. What izzit?” she sits up and rubs her eyes. 

“The doctor needs to give you a checkup and then we can get you something to eat,” Hanzo explains as he helps Kasumi out of bed and walks with her over to the exam room. 

Angela does the same exam for Kasumi, noting that she’s a bit small for her age but otherwise seems perfectly healthy. Only when she starts preparing for the blood draw does Kasumi complain.    
  
“Dad I don’t want a shot.”

Hanzo places the datapad to the side and goes to sit beside his daughter. “It’s not a shot, it’s just a little poke to get some blood. I’ll be right here.” She whines as Angela wipes her inner elbow with an alcohol pad and wraps a tourniquet around her bicep. 

“Hold your arm still for me, please. Don’t lock your elbow, just relax.” Hanzo lets Kasumi squeeze his hand while Angela finds a vein and plunges the needle in on the count of three. “There! We got a good flash and we’re going to fill two tubes.” Kasumi whimpers as one tube fills with red blood and gets switched out for another. She pulls out the needle and presses a piece of gauze over the little wound. “All done. You did well.” 

Hanzo gives Kasumi a hug, “I’m proud of you.” She snuffles a little and watches Angela intently as she places the two tubes into a machine for analysis. Genji peeks in with a small smile on his face.    
  
“Is everything okay? Did you survive?” he jokes. Hanzo is about to reply when a monitor flashes at Angela’s desk and starts beeping. “What does that mean?”

Angela taps a few times on the monitor, “She’s positive for lycanthropy. I’m sure it’s in her medical records…”

“It is. It’s congenital and she’s had her treatment,” Hanzo subtly places himself between Kasumi and Dr Ziegler. “Is that going to be a  _ problem _ ?”

“No! No, of course not. I mean I’d like to go ahead and give her the second treatment just as a precaution-”

“She doesn’t need it until she’s hit puberty-”

Kasumi and Genji look between the two like they’re watching a tennis volley. Tensions rise as energy crackles around Hanzo’s arm and Angela draws herself up to her full height, staring down the elder Shimada. 

“It’s just to be sure she isn’t contagious. I would do it for  _ any  _ new lycans coming into Overwatch. We don’t need to do it today, since she’s been through a lot already, but I’d like to have it done before the end of the month.”

Hanzo backs down first. “Fine. As long it’s something that would be done equally to all lycans coming on base, I will allow it.” From behind him Kasumi whines and clings to the back of Hanzo’s shirt.

“I don’t want another shot, Daddy, please.” He turns and gathers Kasumi against his chest. 

“It’s going to be fine, I promise. I’ll be here the whole time and we’ll have a treat afterwards. Anything you like.” 

“Ice cream?” Hanzo laughs softly and assures her that after her treatment they’ll get sundaes. 

\-- 

Genji walks with Hanzo and Kasumi, “I suppose I can show you the rec room unless you want to stay in your rooms until dinner. Then I can give you a proper tour of the base tomorrow.”

“That will be fine. Kasumi can do some school work before dinner and I can make a list of provisions if you’ll allow me to make a supply run for our own food.” Genji nods at that. 

“I think we’re doing a run at the end of the week. Until then you’re welcome to my food and anything marked as communal in the kitchen.” The rec room has the cowboy sitting at the table with his gun in pieces on a length of cloth cleaning it meticulously. He looks up and smiles at Kasumi then nods to Hanzo. 

“Howdy. Y’all feel free to make yourselves comfortable.” Hanzo leads Kasumi to the table and places a protective hand on her shoulder. 

“Would you mind sharing your table? Kasumi has some homework that needs to be done.”

“It’s not a problem, partner. Pull up a chair, miss Kasumi.” The girl blushes a little at being called  _ miss  _ and slides into a chair across from the cowboy. “What kind of homework d’ya got there?”

A shy smile, “Math. Lines and angles.” 

“Geometry huh?” Jesse grins at her, causing her cheeks to turn even pinker. “I know a little bit about that if you need any help, sweetheart.” Hanzo is sure that by the end of the week Kasumi will be absolutely smitten with the cowboy if he doesn’t turn down the charm. He takes a seat beside her with Genji moving to sit by McCree. “Genji don’t be touchin’ nothin’ now.”

“You’re no fun.” Genji pouts as Kasumi opens her math worksheet on her tablet and gets to work. Hanzo is a patient teacher as she struggles through word problems and graphs points on a quadrant plane. He keeps an even tone even as hers takes on a whining edge on particularly difficult word problems and patiently guides her through the lesson for nearly half an hour. 

Genji is mesmerized by the change in his brother. He remembers being young and struggling in math as well, but Hanzo had been impatient with Genji and often it escalated into both boys crying in frustration and taking it out in the dojo. Now, though, he seems to have almost infinite patience with his daughter and never once raises his voice at her. Part of Genji wonders where that care was  _ before  _ but he squashes it. Age and perspective have evened his brother’s temper in ways he had never predicted. 

After math is English and Genji eventually wanders off to help in the kitchen. Hanzo, however, stays glued to Kasumi’s side and pulls out his comm to begin the psychological questionnaire that Angela sent him as well as read over the results of the blood tests that were emailed to him. He notices that Kasumi keeps glancing curiously at Jesse as if she wants to ask him something. 

Before she can, though, Reinhardt bellows from the kitchen that dinner is ready. “Is your stomach feelin’ better, sweetheart?” Jesse asks as he puts his gun back together. “Cause ol’ Wilhelm usually makes somethin’ that’ll stick to your ribs.”

“I feel better,” Kasumi is happy to close up her homework. “Stick to my ribs?”

Hanzo chuckles, “It is an English expression. It means the food is very filling.” Kasumi nods and follows the two men from the rec room to the kitchen where the team is gathering and serving themselves helpings of what looks like a noodle dish with beef, gravy and small potatoes. There’s probably enough to have seconds for everyone by Hanzo’s estimate as they get in the small line and pick up bowls from the counter.

“I made beef stroganoff,” Reinhardt booms. “There are rolls in the dining room on the table as well, so please, help yourselves!” He grins down at Kasumi as she gets her own helping. “Especially  _ you _ , you’re a growing girl! You need extra nutrition.” 

The dining area reminds Hanzo of a cafeteria with long rows of tables and benches. They choose to sit with Genji, who has removed his mask and is chatting with Angela. “Every dinner doesn’t need a salad, Angela. This is good for your  _ soul _ .”

“Yes but your  _ arteries  _ will suffer,” she shakes her head and subtly tenses as Hanzo and Kasumi join their table. “Hello, Mr Shimada. Kasumi. How are you settling in?”

“You may call me Hanzo; and we are settling well. I believe we will turn in early tonight, though.”

“If you have trouble adjusting to the time zones, please let me know.” Hanzo nods politely. 

The other agents join in at the table but after their meals, Hanzo and Kasumi head to their rooms pleading exhaustion. Hanzo makes sure that Kasumi showers and brushes her teeth while he gets his night clothes on. He tucks her into bed and lets her read a chapter of a book to him before turning the lights off and going back to his own room.

It’s about an hour later as he’s reading agent profiles when Kasumi peeks into his room from the bathroom. “Daddy?”

“Yes?” he looks up at her and beckons her inside. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m lonely. Can I stay with you tonight?” Hanzo’s heart melts a little and he nods. She grabs her blankets and clambers over him to get to the side by the wall and makes herself a little burrito. “Daddy?”

“Yes, Kasumi-chan?”

“That cowboy, Jesse McCree, he’s a wolf too.” 

\--


	5. -five-

_ “All grown-ups were once children... but only few of them remember it.”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


Hanzo and Kasumi quickly fall into a routine at the Watchpoint. The archer rises first at 0500 to jog around the track in the gym, hits the showers at 0600 and goes back to wake Kasumi at 0630. Breakfasts are usually eggs, rice and fruit juice and spent with Genji who normally rises with the sun and eats after an hour of meditation in his room. Hanzo had been shocked to learn that his brother did daily meditations and, not long after that revelation, the three could be found outside in the mornings doing yoga after breakfast. 

The stoic and reticent archer isn’t a ghost on base, which surprises many of the other agents. Hanzo throws himself into the chore rotation and can often be found doing dishes, washing vehicles, doing loads of laundry and mopping up and down the halls. He and Genji clear out several more of the officers’ dorms and get them ready for habitation in just a few days, which pleases Winston to no end as he isn’t much of a housekeeper himself. 

Another unexpected surprise is how seriously the eldest Shimada takes Kasumi’s education. For six hours a day (broken up by lunch and an hour outside) she does lessons, homework and reads with her father periodically checking in on her while he does chores around the base. However, Hanzo always takes a break to personally help her with her math and science courses. Afterwards she goes with her father to the shooting range.

Hanzo logs several hours a day in the range and on sims for Athena to collect his individual stats for her database while Kasumi practices with her little pulse pistol. If he is in sims, she can be found with Genji in the gym practicing self-defense or watching the other agents as they train. 

Even when Hanzo or Genji isn’t cooking, the team discovers that Kasumi enjoys it and more often than not find themselves with an assistant in the kitchen. They also learn that she enjoys drawing on her tablet and playing games after dinner and wrangles people into joining her. It is endearing and brings youthful energy back to the base that hasn’t been there since young Fareeha had walked the halls with Jesse in tow.

Through it all Hanzo is always nearby, obviously trying (and sometimes failing) not to hover. 

\-- 

Jesse is sitting in the rec room writing on his tablet when Hanzo finally approaches him. It’s been two weeks since Kasumi’s revelation that the base’s resident cowboy is also a lycan. Hanzo suspects there are others but Kasumi has kept quiet about them for one reason or another. Currently, the girl is on the couch with her uncle totally engrossed in a video game.  

Hanzo sits down across from the cowboy, pulling out his own datapad, and wonders how to best broach the topic. Kasumi has been begging to go outside and explore the wilderness, but he has no hope of keeping up with the rambunctious girl while she’s on four legs. Despite their tense meeting, McCree has been nothing but polite to Hanzo and friendly with Kasumi. If Jesse McCree truly  _ is  _ a lycan, maybe he would be willing to keep an eye on her. 

Or maybe not. Two weeks does not a friendship make and while Hanzo has bonded with Torbjorn and Reinhardt over their children and godchildren, he hasn’t had much contact with the cowboy outside of sims and the range. Maybe this is too big of a favor to ask. No, it is  _ definitely  _ too much to ask of someone who is still, essentially, a stranger. 

A smooth baritone interrupts his train of thought. “Y’look like you’re fit to bust. What’s on your mind, partner?” 

Busted. Hanzo looks up and gives a hopefully nonchalant shrug. “Kasumi tells me you have a lot in common.” 

A thick brow arches up over the cowboy’s stormy grey eyes. “Is that so?”

“Mm. She’s been antsy lately and I believe she needs an outlet for her energy.”

Jesse leans back in his chair with a crooked grin. “Must be the full moon.” Hanzo snorts at that. 

“Moon phases have nothing to do with it. I think she’s been in one skin for far too long.”

“It might’ve been disproven as far as compulsory changing, but we still feel a pull towards it. Something about a bright night makes you wanna go out and have some fun.” He glances at the pair on the couch as Kasumi play-tackles Genji, “I think you’re right though. She’s gotta let loose.”

The moment of truth: “Would you-- I know this is too much to ask-- but would you be able to keep an eye on her?” Hanzo dips his head and looks up at the cowboy through his lashes. “It is impossible for me to keep up with her and I would feel better knowing she is not alone out there where she might get hurt.”

McCree mulls it over for a moment and nods. “Sure. It’s been a while since I’ve had someone to romp around in the woods with. Ol’ Reinhardt’s back ain’t what it used to be.” Hanzo’s shock must show on his face. “Yeah, him, too. Shiftin’ is hard on a body though so he tends to not now that he’s gotten older.” 

Hanzo didn’t know that. He honestly doesn’t know a whole lot about lycans outside of his experiences with the Mamiyas. Ame and Yuki had never been forthcoming about their wolf childhoods except to say that it was challenging for their mother and  _ none  _ of them had ever known a wolf that lived to an old age. Raising Kasumi he’s muddled along the best he can with parenting guides but, looking at the man across from him, Hanzo realizes that there is a side of his child he’d never truly allowed her to express. The weight of Ame’s words weeks ago weighs on his conscience. “Thank you, McCree-san.”

“Woah, now,” Jesse holds up his mismatched hands with a laugh, “No need for all’a that formality. Just Jesse or McCree is fine, Shimada-san.”

“Then I must ask that you call me Hanzo,” he gives Jesse a small smile. 

\-- 

Hanzo is lecturing and he knows it, but he can’t stop himself. He’s nervous about leaving Kasumi with the cowboy to go out of his sight. “And please, be nice to all the animals you meet. Especially the macaques since they’re a protected species. You also need to stay within McCree-san’s sight--no running off on your own.”

“Daddy you worry too much,” Kasumi rolls her eyes and puts a spare change of clothes in a bag to leave with her father. 

“I worry just the right amount. Are you certain you can shift in that dress?”

“Da-a-ad.  _ Yes _ , look it’s got a zipper so I can get it off even with paws. I won’t ruin it.” Hanzo bites his tongue and rechecks his first aid kit. Maybe he’s a little paranoid but it’s better to be prepared for the worst. “Daddy  _ please  _ don’t embarrass me in front of Jesse-san.” 

“I am your father, it’s my duty to embarrass you,” he laughs as he follows Kasumi out of her room and down the halls. 

Jesse is waiting for them outside, already transformed with a bag sitting by his paws. Hanzo’s breath catches in his throat at the sight of the wolf; he’s  _ huge,  _ with thick red-brown fur that catches the dying light like burning embers. He has a darker black-brown saddle and, adorably, little black eyebrows over his molten silver eyes. His tail wags at the sight of them and Kasumi darts over, dropping her bag and transforming mid-leap to tackle him into the grass. 

Hanzo takes a moment to compose himself while the two roughhouse. McCree makes a very handsome wolf… which makes sense, seeing as he’s a handsome  _ man _ . He can’t help but notice how his fur is thick, especially in the ruff around his neck, and shining with health or how he’s surprisingly gentle with Kasumi even as they play tackle and show their teeth. He tries to ignore the way McCree’s muscles move under his fur, padded by a layer of fat around the middle, or how his eyes shine like the full moon. 

“She looks even smaller beside Jesse doesn’t she, ani-chan?” Genji appears beside Hanzo and, to his credit, he does not startle. It’s true, though, looking at Kasumi compared to a full grown lycan; she’s still got fuzzy puppy fur and her legs are long with big paws that hint at her future size. A glance at Genji shows that the cyborg has once again switched out his outer armor for matte blacks and greys and changed his running lights to electric blue. 

“How many colors of armor do you have, Genji?” Hanzo is genuinely curious now that he’s distracted from Jesse McCree. His brother hums and, distressingly, begins to count on his fingers. 

“Well there’s blue, red, green, yellow-” Hanzo makes a face at that “my armor from when I was traveling in Nepal so that’s two more, my Halloween costume, the Nihon pride set, and this. So that’s eight? Yes. Eight.” 

“He’s like a damn phone,” Jesse growls. “He can snap ‘em on and off and mix ‘em up, too, and change his LEDs light a goddamn light show.” 

Genji gasps, “McCree!  _ Language _ ! Don’t befowl my niece’s innocent ears with your cursing!”

Kasumi, impatient with the adults, barks suddenly. “Who cares! Let’s  _ go _ !” She’s dancing excitedly with her front paws towards the treeline. “C’mon Jesse-san!” The other wolf just huffs a laugh and follows her into the trees and out of sight. Hanzo clenches his hands and wishes he could be out there with her. Would Jesse keep her safe? 

“Relax, anija, she’ll be  _ fine _ .” Genji pats Hanzo’s shoulder fondly. There’s a warbling howl from shockingly far away. “Jesse is a good man. He won’t let anything happen to her.” 

They stand in silence for a few moments as Hanzo takes deep, calming breaths. “I just worry.” 

“I was thinking,” Genji starts hesitantly, “that I want you to meet someone. He might be able to help with your anxiety.”

“What anxiety?” Hanzo snaps. “I don’t have anxiety.”

Genji actually removes his mask to look at his brother in the eyes. Hanzo flinches from his gaze, just a little. He’s grown used to seeing his face but having such a knowing expression directed at him is uncomfortable. “He’s the one who helped me accept myself as I am after… well,  _ after _ . I think he could help you, too.”

“I don’t need help,” he says mulishly. 

“You can’t be away from Kasumi-chan for more than a day and when you  _ are  _ apart you’re easily distracted. It might not be noticeable to the rest of the team, since you’re such a perfectionist, but  _ I _ can see it, anija.”

Hanzo scowls at being called out so thoroughly. “You may have a point. Who is this person? An Overwatch psychiatrist?” 

“No, nobody from Overwatch really…  _ understood  _ my problems back then. I met him after I left, during my travels in Nepal. He’s, well, he saved my life. I was half frozen up in the mountains and he brought me to this temple,” he rambles, “um, the Shambali temple. I’m sure you’ve heard of them. Well, the monk is Tekhartha Zenyatta and he’s…”

“An omnic,” Hanzo finishes. 

“Yes. But he’s not-- he’s also a good person and has a big heart. If he can teach  _ me  _ acceptance and peace then surely he can help you?” Genji looks so hopeful and Hanzo is truly loathe to break his brother’s heart. He’s already broken so much of him. 

“Since you speak so highly of him, I would be honored to meet your mentor.” 

\-- 

The pup is almost distressingly easy to follow through the underbrush. She has no sense of stealth or subtlety as she tears through bushes and leaves tracks that even a blind man could follow. Jesse lets her race ahead and allows his thoughts to wander, just a little. He wants to hate Hanzo for what he did to Genji, he really does, but the man makes it really difficult. He seems earnest in his attempts to bond with his brother and he’s got the whole Best Dad shit going on, too. It’s hard to hate someone who’s so obviously trying his best. 

It doesn’t help that Hanzo Shimada, former yakuza and father of the year, is the most attractive man that Jesse’s seen in literal years. He growls to himself, shaking his head. He shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts about a man with a child-- a child that he’s currently babysitting, even. He lifts his head up and hears Kasumi bay a little ways off. Jesse makes his way over and finds her with scratches across her muzzle and a family of very pissed golden macaques glaring down at them from the trees. 

“Did you learn your lesson?” he laughs as he leads her away from the incensed monkeys and licks over her wounds. 

“Don’t try to play with the babies,” she grumbles as her scratches heal. “I was just trying to be nice.”

“These monkeys ain’t like Winston, they’re not friendly or particularly smart and they haven’t been habituated to people or wolves. They see you and all they see is fur and sharp teeth,” he explains patiently. “I know y’all got monkeys in Japan that might be a mite friendlier but not these ones, especially not when it’s a momma defendin’ her young.” 

They find a clearing with soft grass to lay in after some walking in comfortable silence. Kasumi curls up against Jesse’s side, “Hey, Jesse-san?”

A lick to the top of her head, “Yeah?”

“Can you teach me to be a proper wolf?” her voice is small and shy. “My jichan said I’m more human than wolf. That I don’t have any skills.” 

Jesse’s heart aches for her. “Oh, sweetheart… you don’t have to  _ choose  _ to be human or wolf. It ain’t one or the other. You’re a lycan, you can be both. Hell, you  _ are  _ both. I can teach you to hunt and track and be stealthy, but you’re already a proper wolf jus’ by bein’ you.” 

She looks up at him with wide, hopeful eyes. “You think so?”

“I know so.” He stretches and gets to his feet, “Now c’mon, I think we got time to teach you a little stealth before your daddy gets too worried.”

\--

Hanzo is standing with his back to the trees talking to Genji; a  _ perfect  _ target for Jesse’s little lesson. “Okay now remember, you gotta move quietly. Soft paws then  _ leap _ .”

Kasumi glances up at him skeptically, “He’ll hear me. It’s impossible to sneak up on Daddy.” 

“Shhh, he doesn’t even know we’re here. You have the element of surprise on your side, plus he’s distracted by Genji-kun.” Kasumi crouches down low to the ground and takes slow, careful steps through the bushes. She’s not perfect, there’s still some crunching of underbrush but Hanzo hasn’t noticed it yet. Her ears are pricked forward and she’s trembling with the effort to rein in her excitement. She creeps ever closer to the edge of the woods and hunkers down, ready to pounce. “Careful… careful…” Jesse whispers. “Now-- _ go _ .”

The little wolf explodes from the bushes in a flurry of fur and leaves. Hanzo barely has enough time to sidestep before she comes crashing into him and Genji, sending all three tumbling into the grass. Jesse emerges from the woods laughing as Kasumi sits proudly on top of her father. “Not bad! Needs a little finesse but not bad at all!” 

Hanzo groans and pushes his daughter off of him, “What on earth are you  _ teaching  _ her?” Jesse snorts and sits heavily on the ground. 

“Jus’ a little stealth hunting techniques. I figured y’all’d be easier to practice on than a rabbit.” The archer ruffles Kasumi’s ears affectionately and gives Jesse a dirty look. 

“I suppose I can support her learning to hunt… just not me. I’m not as young as I used to be, after all. Hunt Genji instead.”

Genji groans from under Kasumi’s paws and rises dramatically, hefting her up as he goes, “I am not some  _ prey  _ animal! I am a  _ dragon _ !” he bellows. 

“Wolves  _ eat  _ lizards,” she laughs as her uncle carries her back towards the base. “Hey!  _ Hey!  _ Where are we going?” 

“Away from  _ bad influences _ like  _ McCree _ !” 

Jesse and Hanzo watch with amusement as the two head inside. “She’s a lil spitfire jus’ like her uncle. Quick learner, too. If you want, we can do this a coupl’a times a week so she can let off that energy an’ learn some survival skills. Huntin’, trackin’, stuff like that. There’s plenty o’ bunnies and foxes around here that she can learn on.” 

“I think that would be a fine idea,” Hanzo agrees. 

\--


	6. -six-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for an anxiety attack and disordered thoughts

_ “Where are the people?” resumed the little prince at last. “It’s a little lonely in the desert…” “It is lonely when you’re among people, too,” said the snake.”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


It’s nearly three-thirty in the morning when Hanzo wakes in a cold sweat from a nightmare. There’s blood everywhere in his mind, he’s choking on the scent of death-- he pats around him and his heart clenches in panic when he finds it empty. Where is Kasumi? Where is his  _ child _ ? Hanzo tumbles from the bed, tangled in the blankets and gasping desperately for air--

“Agent Shimada, my sensors indicate that you are experiencing acute distress. Would you like me to alert Dr Ziegler or Zenyatta?” Athena’s smooth voice emanates from the small speaker in the ceiling of Hanzo’s room reminding him of where he is.

He’s at Watchpoint: Gibraltar at the request of his brother, who is  _ alive _ , and Kasumi is asleep in her own bed in the room beside his. He takes a few deep breaths and runs a shaking hand over his face. “N-no. No thank you, Athena-san. I am fine.”

“My recommendation is to see Dr Ziegler if these occurrences become common. If you wish, I can send her an appointment request for a sleep-aid tomorrow.”

He doesn’t need a sleep aid, he needs a drink. “I will be fine. Thank you for your concern, Athena-san.” Hanzo’s hand closes around his gourd from under his bed and he pulls it out. It’s normally filled with sake or plum wine, but it’s been difficult to find his preferred brands in Europe so it’s currently filled with bourbon. He takes a pull from it and hisses through his teeth. He can still smell the blood, the scent of wet fur… 

Hanzo creeps through the shared bathroom and peeks into his daughter’s room. There’s a sunny yellow and orange tapestry hanging on one wall from Lena Oxton, a couple of succulents and flowering cacti from the cowboy on the windowsill, and a creased photo of Hanzo and Genji as young men beside Kasumi’s small collection of pictures from her childhood. In the bed, wrapped in her comforter like a spring roll is the girl herself, sleeping deeply like only a child can. He breathes a sigh of relief and slips back into his room. 

He rubs a hand over his sternum and decides that he’s not going to be getting to sleep anytime soon. On instinct, he heads to the kitchen, as if he was still in his little house in the mountains and Yuki would be there to hold his hands and tell him that it was going to be okay as long as he kept moving forward. Hanzo pauses in the hall to wipe his watering eyes. His chest  _ aches  _ with how much he misses Yuki in this moment. 

The kitchen isn’t small and there’s nobody there to listen, but there’s a table and he has some drink. Hanzo sits and rakes his hands through his hair, trying to imitate the feeling of someone else’s fingers on his scalp. Ever since Zenyatta arrived six days ago, he’s been having intense nightmares of the night he and Genji fought and of the night Yuki died. He had lived up to his promise and spent afternoons talking with the omnic monk about his past and his future; but it is digging up feelings he’d long since buried. Hanzo takes another pull of the bourbon and tries to keep it together. He is so exhausted from trying to bury his past  _ and  _ be the good brother he should have always been to Genji  _ and  _ trying to be a good teammate to the other agents  _ and  _ trying to still be a good father to Kasumi  _ and  _ push down his blossoming crush on the cowboy-- 

No. Nope, he isn’t thinking about that. Another deep drink. He can’t have  _ feelings  _ for his teammates, especially not one of the teammates who was part of the rescue operation that saved Genji ten years ago. There is a hundred reasons why he shouldn’t have a crush on Jesse McCree and number one, screaming in his mind, is that he is a widower who has more baggage than a passenger plane. It isn’t fair to anyone who he might fancy, it was  _ barely  _ fair to Yuki. 

_ Yuki.  _

He wishes she was here now. He needs her comforting presence, her simple words, but all he has is this empty kitchen and humming fluorescent lights. 

\--

Hours later, Jesse finds Hanzo in the shooting range. He’s made several training bots look like toothbrushes with an array of hardlight arrows, hinting at how long he’s been there already. A close look at the archer shows dark bruises under his eyes, hair falling from its tail, stubble growing in on his cheeks and a slight tremble to his muscles. Worried, Jesse goes to the main console to see what time Hanzo got in this morning. 

His eyebrows creep towards his hairline when he sees that Hanzo has been in the range since 0445 and its currently almost 0700. It’s even more worrisome that the normally perceptive, almost twitchy, man hasn’t even seemed to notice that Jesse is even in the room. His frown deepens and he addresses the AI, “Athena, darlin’, would ya mind powerin’ down the trainin’ bots and resetting them for me?”

“Of course, Agent McCree.” Hanzo spins around with a snarl on his face. 

“What do you think you’re doing, cowboy?” 

Jesse arches a brow, “I think I’m cuttin’ you off, darlin’. You’re obviously exhausted and liable to hurt somethin’ if you keep going at this rate.”

“I’ll hurt something, alright,” the archer growls as he stalks over to the console. The infuriating cowboy stands his ground, though, even when Hanzo gets right up in his space. 

“Huff and puff all you want, I ain’t gonna budge. You need to take a break.”

“Do not presume to tell me what I need,” he hisses. “Now get out of the way before I make you.”

McCree doesn’t  _ want  _ to hurt Hanzo, he really doesn’t, but he also doesn’t plan on allowing the man to train himself to death. When the archer lunges he grabs the other man and quickly maneuvers him into a sleeper hold. “Damn it, Shimada, would you stop?” Hanzo is struggling to escape Jesse’s grasp, even going so far as to aim for the family jewels. “Hanzo! You need to stop! Think about your pup, what she would think if she saw her daddy actin’ like a damn fool?” 

“The only fool here i-” Hanzo doesn’t get a chance to finish that sentence as Jesse squeezes and the smaller man starts to lose consciousness. He carefully repositions the other man and hauls him up into his arms. Medbay or his room? Jesse looks down at the unconscious archer and takes in the pallor of his skin and decides: Medbay. 

“Athena, can you ping Angie for me? Tell her I’m on my way to the medbay with a patient for her.”

\--

Angela’s diagnosis is exhaustion and overexertion when Jesse dumps the unconscious Shimada onto a bed. “It looks like he left his room at 0330 this morning after Athena detected signs of distress,” she mumbles as she looks over his vitals on a holoscreen. “He seems stable, for now.”

Jesse rubs his hand down his face. “Well, lemme tell Genji-kun that he’s gonna have to watch the pup until Hanzo wakes up. You sure I didn’t do any damage, Ange?” 

“No. He lost consciousness and his body has simply kept him asleep because that’s what it needs. I assure you, if you’d done something to actually harm him I’d tell you. Now go find Genji before Kasumi wakes up and starts to worry.”

Jesse’s not surprised that Kasumi hasn’t woken up yet. At that age, he could sleep all day if nobody woke him. He reluctantly leaves Hanzo and goes in search of the other Shimada. It’s after sunrise so he’s either eating breakfast or outside greeting the day with that omnic mentor of his. He sets off towards the kitchen and resists the urge to go back and stay with the archer. 

He remembers nights where he’d woken and escaped to the gym to empty his mind and wear his body down. He also remembers being dragged bodily to the medbay and the comfort of having someone there when he woke up. 

It’s hard to hate Hanzo Shimada when he’s been there before. 

He finds Genji rinsing off his dishes in the sink with Zenyatta floating placidly beside him. The monk seems to radiate peace and warmth… almost literally. “Ah, Agent McCree, good morning,” the monk gives him a little wave. “Have you seen Hanzo anywhere? Genji and I were discussing his absence at breakfast. Hopefully little Kasumi has not taken ill?”

“Ah, yeah. I was actually lookin’ for y’all. Hanzo is in the medbay. Seems like he overexerted himself during some trainin’ this mornin’ and needs some time to recuperate.”

“He hurt himself?” Genji stands up straighter, his whole body tensing. “What about Kasumi-chan?”

“Fast asleep in bed. I’ll go sit with Hanzo if you wanna go collect her and make sure she gets some breakfast.”

The ninja shakes his head, “I am worried about my brother. I’ll go to the medbay and check on him. Besides,” there’s a grin in his voice now, “Kasumi-chan likes you. She can have the day off with her favorite non-relative.” With that, he speeds off towards the medbay, leaving Jesse and Zenyatta alone in the kitchen. 

“I believe I will let the brothers have some time alone,” Zenyatta unfolds himself from his lotus position and stands. “Do you need help with the little one, Agent McCree?”

“I told you, just Jesse or McCree is fine,” he shakes his head, “and naw, I got this. You go on and get started with your day.” 

\--

Kasumi’s room is at the end of the hall, ensuring that she only has one neighbor who is bound to be quiet. Her door has her name in both English and kanji and sparkly magnets of stars in the shapes of constellations. Jesse knocks and listens for any movement inside.

Nothing.

He knocks again a little louder.

Still nothing. 

“Athena may I have a parental override to wake the pup?” Jesse inquires. 

“Parental override granted,” the AI sounds amused as the door beeps and opens. Kasumi’s bedroom is very much a girl’s room. There are little origami cranes hanging from the ceiling, paintings of flowers on the wall donated by Angela, a hope chest at the end of the bed given to her by Reinhardt and a thick quilt over it made by Torbjorn’s wife. Kasumi herself is curled in the center of her bed like a burrito in yellow and grey blankets. 

“Kasumiiii,” he croons as he walks over to the bed. All he can see of her is a patch of dark brown hair poking out from her cocoon. 

“No,” she grumbles and curls up tighter. 

“Yes,” Jesse grins and grabs ahold of the ends of the blankets. He gives a mighty tug and Kasumi comes tumbling out of bed with a squeal. 

“Jesse-san!” she wails, clutching her arms and shivering dramatically. 

“Wakey-wakey,” he dumps the blankets back on the bed and helps her to her feet. “Your daddy is indisposed at the moment so you’re spendin’ the morning with me today.” She squints up at him suspiciously. 

“Indisposed? Is he okay?”

“Jus’ overworked himself in the gym is all. He’s restin’ right now,” which isn’t a lie. Jesse doesn’t think she needs to know the details of why her father was overworking himself, although from the look on her face he thinks that maybe she has an idea anyway. “Now why don’t you get dressed and we can make some breakfast. How do pancakes sound?”

“Good!” she grins and starts going through her closet. “Can we put in chocolate chips?”

“Anything you want, sugarplum,” he chuckles and excuses himself so she can change. It takes a little bit, which is probably normal for girls, and whistles while he waits. 

Kasumi has been really coming into her own and blossoming under all the attention of the other adults. In fact, it seems like the one who’s been having a hard time adjusting has been her father. Every other night, he’s been out teaching her hunting and tracking while Hanzo waits with the first aid kit ready and reeking of anxiety. He seems to find leaving her alone or with other adults difficult and any deviation in their little routine obviously distresses him. McCree can’t help but notice that the coppery tang of nerves clings to him and he wishes he could soothe that distress. 

Kasumi comes out of her room in leggings and a floral dress with a little clip holding her bangs back. “Ready!” Jesse grins and holds out his arm, making the girl blush as she takes it and they walk together to the kitchen. 

“We should make extra pancakes for Daddy.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Mhmm. With strawberries. If he’s feeling bad he should get his favorites,” she nods confidenty. 

“Strawberries, huh? I think we can manage that.” 

\-- 

Consciousness comes in bits and pieces to Hanzo. The first thing he’s aware of is that every muscle in his body aches. The second thing is that he’s not in his room. Normally he keeps his room fairly chilly and the room he’s in has a neutral temperature and it smells… like antiseptic. He must be in the medbay. Hanzo groans quietly as the memory of his confrontation with the cowboy returns. He’d made a fool of himself in front of the other man. 

He had meant to be out of the range before anyone woke up, but he’d gotten carried away. He’d been so deep inside his own head that he hadn’t even heard the cowboy until he was shutting down his sim. 

“Anija?” Genji’s voice is closer than Hanzo expected. His eyes snap open and he sees that his brother is leaning over, one hand poised to touch him, The cyborg relaxes and sits back when he sees that Hanzo is awake. “I was worried, you were groaning in your sleep.”

“I am sore, that is all,” he lies. “I apologize for worrying you.”

“You are my brother, I am supposed to worry about you. Jesse says you overdid it in the shooting range? That seems unlike you.” 

Hanzo wars with the desire to be honest with his brother and the need to preserve his dignity. Zenyatta has said that honesty is the key to rebuilding their fractured relationship and he has been  _ trying _ . He has been trying so hard. 

“I have not been sleeping well. I was hoping some exercise would clear my mind,” he admits. “Jesse is right, I did overdo it this morning.” 

Genji hesitantly reaches out to his brother, “If you cannot sleep, please, we can help you. There are sleep aids, chamomile tea, yoga… anything, but trying to work yourself into pure exhaustion isn’t healthy. You’ve got to--”

“I  _ know  _ what I’ve got to do,” Hanzo snaps. “I  _ know _ , Genji. I must be an example for Kasumi. I must prove myself as a good agent for Overwatch. I must be the brother I should have been all your life--” his voice breaks, “I am so  _ tired _ , Genji. I am doing my best and it is not enough.” He leans forward and holds his head in his hands, the tears are coming and it is humiliating but he can’t stop them. 

Genji is in shock. In his whole life, he’s never seen Hanzo cry. He’s curled in on himself like he’s trying to make himself as small as possible and it’s heartbreaking. Genji sits on the bed and wraps his arms around Hanzo, rocking them back and forth a little and rubbing his back like how their mother used to when he was a child. “You’re doing more than enough, Hanzo. You don’t need to be perfect, you don’t have to push yourself to your limit like this. I’m sorry I’ve made you feel like you need to meet an impossible goal. I should have been a better brother to  _ you _ , too. I should have seen that you were struggling.”

Hanzo turns into his brother’s embrace and squeezes him. He’s not like the Genji he used to be; there’s armor and metal where there used to be flesh and muscle but he  _ knows  _ that his heart is still there. Encased in all that metal and carbon fiber is his little brother who has gifted him with a second chance he hardly deserves. 

In the doorway, Jesse holds an arm out to keep Kasumi back while the brothers have their moment. It seems like Hanzo needed that cry and he doesn’t intend to embarrass the man by barging in with his little girl in tow. 

“Is he okay?,” she whispers, a stack of chocolate strawberry pancakes on a plate in her hands. 

“I think your Daddy is gonna be fine,” Jesse whispers back. 


	7. -seven-

_ “Men have no more time to understand anything. They buy things all ready made at the shops. But there is no shop anywhere where one can buy friendship, and so men have no friends anymore. If you want a friend, tame me...”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


After Zenyatta, two more agents join the new Overwatch roster. In extended talks with the UN, Winston managed to convince them that Overwatch should be allowed to exist again with the  rising threat of Talon as well as anti-omnic sentiment and widespread corruption. The biggest show of support came from Korea by sending their star meka pilot, Hana “D,Va” Song, as an ambassador to the organization. Along with Song, a DJ star and revolutionary from Brazil named Lucio Correia dos Santos joins up to promote their message of peace. 

The UN would need to approve all missions, but Overwatch was, for all intents and purposes, back in business. 

It means, however, that the base is suddenly full of loud and colorful young people. Lena and Genji embrace the two new members with all of their vivacious and youthful energy but for some of the older members, their ages begin to show. 

In sims, they struggle at first meshing their fighting styles. Hana Song is used to taking point and taking huge risks--a flashy sort of style that doesn’t necessarily go well when her healer is nowhere near her after she detonates her meka. Lucio, while he takes a huge burden off of Angela as a second healer, often forgets to watch his flank, leaving him vulnerable. Group training sims become more frequent in case the newly legitimized group is called to action. 

However, it becomes obvious that Winston, for all his intelligence, simply isn’t a tactician. While he is leader of the new Overwatch and the face for the UN, his lack of confidence in battle begins to show as more and more often he has trouble delegating roles and making teams. It’s after a particularly disheartening sim that Hana finally brings it up. 

“We can’t keep going like this, Winston. It’s too disorganized,” she tugs her hair into a ponytail and gives the scientist a frustrated look, “I respect that you are our leader but we need someone else to make the teams or else we’re going to get slaughtered.”

Lucio nods, “I hate to say it, man, but I agree with Miss Song. I can’t cover everyone all the time, especially if they’re halfway across the field from me.”

Winston winces at the criticism, looking to Lena for support. “I’m sorry, love, but they’re right. We need someone with a tactical mind to organize our teams. Maybe McCree? He was in Blackwatch after all.”

“We’re not running those kind of ops--” Jesse protests but Genji cuts him off. 

“My brother is also a good fit for the role. He is good at organization and management.”

“I don’t know if my experience is necessarily similar--” Hanzo stops as, to his horror, he sees heads nodding and people mumbling their agreements. Winston sits back on his haunches and looks between McCree and Hanzo with an appraising glint in his eye. 

“If you two are amenable, why not have you both as team leaders? You’re both tend to take charge on the field anyway and you each have experience moving around a lot of people. What do you say?”

McCree sighs heavily and gives Hanzo a wry grin, “Looks like we’re gonna be partners, darlin’.” 

Hanzo returns the smile, “It looks like it. I’m sure we will manage.” 

\--

After checking that Kasumi is doing her homework, Hanzo decides to join McCree outside for a smoke. Jesse is leaning against the rail with his face to the setting sun, painted in golds and reds like his signature serape. He had gone back to his room and dug out a crushed pack of cigarettes. He had not smoked while Kasumi was a baby or toddler, although he did sometimes smoke on his own away from her now that she was older. He leans on the rail beside McCree and, ever the gentleman, the cowboy offers a light.

“I didn’t think you smoked,” Jesse says around his cigarillo, politely blowing the smoke away from Hanzo. 

“I do not much anymore, it is a bad habit,” he inhales and blows out a ring. 

Jesse takes a moment to really look at the archer while he gazes out at the ocean. He had always thought that the elder Shimada was nice to look at-- what with the way his battle and training gear bared his well-sculpted chest and arm to the world-- but somehow he is softer now. His shaved sides are growing in grey and there are silver hairs creeping into his beard, he has little worry lines on his face and-- have his eyes always been the same color as his favorite whiskey? 

“You are staring,” it is a statement of fact. Not accusatory, if the glimmer of amusement in those honey eyes is any indication of the archer’s mood. “You look a lot, when you think I cannot see you.”

McCree blushes; caught. “Well, darlin’, you can’t blame a man for lookin’. I s’pose you caught me off guard.” 

“In what way?” Jesse glances at him with those strangely luminous eyes and ducks his head like a shy schoolboy. 

“I guess I had my own thoughts about you, before you came here, that you’ve blown outta the water.” He takes a deep drag of his cigarillo and exhales through his nose, “I thought you were gonna be this hardass only here for himself but then you arrived and… damn Hanzo you bucked all my expectations. You got a sweetness to you that your pup brings out that’d melt even the coldest hearts. You’re a good man.”

“I was not in the past,” his eyes go distant before Hanzo looks away. “You are too generous in your assertions of my character.” 

“I was a bad man, once,” Jesse says slowly, “I used t’be pretty high up in Deadlock on Route 66. I was only seventeen and I had a rap sheet damn near as tall as I was but Blackwatch gave me the chance to reform myself. To put my good aim to good use. We all got our pasts, Hanzo, it’s what we do after that shows who we are.”

Hanzo finds himself lost in Jesse’s silver gaze, like a deer in the sight of a wolf. “I suppose that is true. You are very wise, for a cowboy.” 

That startles a laugh from the other man and Jesse places a warm hand on Hanzo’s bare shoulder. “Damn straight. Now let’s get back inside, I believe it’s  _ your  _ turn to cook.” 

\--

The two men begin to slowly dance around each other after their conversation; remarks become a little more playful, interactions a little more tactile. It’s small, but the thing between the two begins to blossom. They spend more time together outside of arranging teams for simulations and going over individual stats. 

Hanzo is watching Jesse and Kasumi roughhouse in their fur when Genji brings it up. 

The archer slowly entrusts Jesse with Kasumi to go off into the woods, with the stipulation that they check in via howl every once in a while, but he still keeps watch outside like a nervous mother hen. Right now, Jesse is teaching Kasumi the art of fighting as a wolf-- to Hanzo it looks like play but what does he know? The larger wolf is gentle with her, always aware of his size and strength, while Kasumi gives it her all. She’s been pinned and scruffed a couple times now and is beginning to pant with the exertion. 

Jesse’s eyes glow silver and his fur seems tipped with frost in the cool moonlight. Hanzo tries not to flinch as Kasumi darts in under his guard and gets a huge handlike paw against her muzzle for her efforts. The gunslinger has also been trying to get Kasumi to shift from quadrupedal to bipedal but, according to Hanzo’s research, some wolves simply don’t have the ability.

He remembers that Yuki could. She would shift smoothly from human to wolf to bipedal hybrid like breathing; sometimes even do it in her sleep if Hanzo woke in the night from a nightmare. Kasumi, though, for all her physical similarities to her mother, doesn’t seem to be able to do it. His musings are interrupted by his brother and Zenyatta settling down in the grass to join him.

“It is remarkable how McCree can control his strength,” Zenyatta’s internal processors whirr in a way that Hanzo has learned means he is recording a moment. “During my travels, I did not get to come across many lycans.”

“There were more than average in Overwatch,” Genji leans back on his hands. “Jack Morrison was a lycan. He used to make the wolves do special drills with him and even had armor and packs specially designed for them to use  _ as  _ wolves.”

“How interesting! Perhaps McCree knows where some of that gear is? I would love to see a lycan in tactical gear,” Zenyatta’s modulated voice sounds almost gleeful. “It would be like the polar bears in His Dark Materials.” 

“What?” Hanzo has been paying half attention to the conversation beside him. “Polar bears in whose dark materials?” 

“It’s an  _ old  _ book series by Phillip Pullman called His Dark Materials. They’ve made several movies based off of them as well,” Zenyatta’s LED’s seem to glow brighter with his excitement. “There are armored polar bears called Panserbjørn. Their armor is made by them and imbued with their souls.”

Hanzo makes a face. “They put their  _ souls  _ into armor?”

“Yes! It’s an alternate gaslamp fantas y world in which people's souls live outside their bodies in the form of dæmons, which take on animal forms according to the person's personality. The book series is known best for the dæmons, I think, but also for its controversial portrayal of Christianity,” Zenyatta is practically leaning over Genji as he explains the basic plot of the first book to Hanzo. All the while, Genji has a soft- almost smitten- expression on his unmasked face. “Perhaps young Kasumi would be interested?” He sounds  _ so  _ hopeful. 

“Perhaps. I will have to find a Japanese translation since I think her English is not quite at that level.”

“Ah, speaking of English, how is The Little Prince? She has been translating a little every night.” Genji gives up, flopping down onto the ground so Zenyatta can properly talk over him. “It is a beloved tale all around the world. One of my favorites.” 

“It’s going well,” Hanzo smiles a little, “I think she may be a little young for some of the lessons but it was a good choice by Kaho-sensei.” He glances back and sees Reinhardt ambling down the hill towards Jesse and Kasumi. “I believe lesson time is over for now,” Hanzo chuckles as Kasumi darts off to greet the hulking silver and white lycan, leaving Jesse laying in the dirt. 

Zenyatta drifts off to watch Reinhardt tussle with Kasumi, leaving the brothers alone. Jesse rolls around for a moment, making the oldest Shimada wrinkle his nose in distaste. Genji grins up at his brother and pokes his side playfully. “Don’t make that face, we all know you like McCree.” 

“He is a good friend,” Hanzo swats Genji’s hand away. “But rolling in the dirt is disgusting.” 

“I bet you’d like it a lot better if he was rolling in the dirt with you,” he leers. “Or you could share a shower together.” Genji waggles his eyebrows. Hanzo’s face turns approximately the color of a tomato and he shoves at his terrible little brother. 

“Our-- we are not like  _ that _ ! We are just friends!” he is acutely aware of the fact that Jesse can probably hear them and turns even redder at the thought. “McCree is a trusted comrade-”

“I’ve seen how you look at eachother,” Genji sits up, giving Hanzo a playful nudge. “There’s no reason to keep playing coy about it, you know.” He glances at Jesse, who has gone to join the cuddle puddle with Reinhardt and Kasumi (probably to escape the embarrassing conversation about him). “You deserve to be happy, anija.” 

“I had my happiness,” Hanzo’s voice is rough as he drops down to a whisper. “I have to think of Kasumi first-”

“You can’t use your daughter as an excuse to lock your heart away,” Genji protests. 

“And I am a  _ widower _ . Jesse is a good man, he can do better than someone like me.”

“Hanzo-”

“Enough.” His voice is sharp enough to get the attention of the three lycans and Zenyatta. Hanzo turns away, “Enough, Genji. I am finished with this conversation.” He calls Kasumi to head inside and leaves in a huff. 

Jesse trots over to Genji, nipping at his arm. “You can’t push him like that, Genji-kun. He isn’t ready.” 

“It has been seven years-”

“Seven years is nothing in the face of such a terrible loss,” Reinhardt rumbles. He gazes up at the moon with a deep sigh. “You would do well to remember the scope of his pain, little Sparrow.” Zenyatta inclines his head in agreement. 

Genji winces at the reprimand. It’s true, he doesn’t know that kind of loss. He never really had someone he  _ loved  _ before his life was forced to start over; and even when someone he cared about  _ did  _ pass he was never alone. When their mother died, he had Hanzo; after their father died, he had his friends. Hanzo… for seven years he had nobody but his child. 

Jesse leans against his friend. “Give him a little space, then apologize. An’ stop teasin’ him about it. I’m happy havin’ Hanzo as a friend. If that’s all he can give me then I’m okay with it. He’s been through enough without havin’ to worry about my feelings over him.” 

\--

Kasumi sullenly follows her father into the Watchpoint. The tension is back in his stiff shoulders and he’s practically stalking down the halls to their rooms. She had been half-listening to Genji-ojisan ribbing him about his cute little crush on Jesse-san and, in her humble opinion, her father needs to relax a little. She slips into her room--too annoyed to say much to her father--and quickly changes from wolf to girl. 

Normally the shift is a luxurious process, it pleasantly stretches her muscles and works out the kinks in her back, but today she is on a mission and rushes it so that the girl who emerges is a little bit rumpled. Kasumi throws on a dress and leggings and peeks out the door to see if her father is waiting around. A glance left and right shows that the coast is clear and she sprints down the hall on the hunt for her prey. 

First, her tablet with her Little Prince assignment on it. Her father said it was full of lessons about life and it surely seemed that her father was in need of some remedial classes in  _ that  _ department. Second, she needs the wisest, most intelligent person on base. Someone who always had answers to life’s questions and seemed the most successful at it.

Obviously, Kasumi needs Angela-sensei. 

Where, though? She lifts her head and follows her nose; Angela-sensei smells like roses and sunlight on the water underneath all that antiseptic. Kasumi checks the med bay first and finds it empty. Her office smells bright, she must have been here recently, but where on earth did she wander off to? Next is the rec room and kitchen; both empty of the adult she’s seeking. 

“You look like a woman on a mission,” Hana laughs as Kasumi purposefully follows the scent of sunlight and roses. 

“I’m looking for Angela-sensei.”

“I think she’s out in the rooftop garden. She was nagging at me about getting fresh air,” the meka pilot blows a raspberry and goes back to her stream. “Good luck,  yeodongsaeng!” She barely hears the encouragement as Kasumi races back to the hall and towards the lift that will take her up to her destination.

The rooftop garden is a favorite spot for quiet contemplation and meditation; Zenyatta-san and Genji-ojisan do yoga up there in the mornings, Reinhardt-san feeds the birds and tends the multitude of flowerbeds with Torbjorn-san and Lucio sometimes goes up there to compose his music. Angela-san must have her own reasons for seeking the garden’s relative solitude but, in Kasumi’s mind, it’s more important to help her father than worry about being a nuisance. 

Surely, Angela-san will understand once she explains it. 

The air is thick with the scent of greenery and cool in the moonlight. There are solar-powered lights fashioned to look like old-timey street lamps dotted around the garden and, sitting under one on a wooden bench, is Angela. She looks like a painting in hues of shadowy blues and warm yellows from the lamp. In her hands is a thick book and she seems to be taking notes on a little tablet. Kasumi dips her head and clears her throat to get the older woman’s attention. 

Angela jumps a little, the book tumbling from her lap, “Oh! Kasumi, you startled me.” Kasumi catches a glance of small, elegant script on the pages- blocky, like katakana, but not written in a language she knows. “Is everything alright?” Angela picks up the book and dusts it off, sliding a finger in to mark her page and closing it. 

“No,” she sits heavily beside the doctor and taps at her tablet, bringing up her lesson. “I overheard Daddy talking to Genji-ojisan while I was playing with Jesse-san and Reinhardt-san.”

“You shouldn’t eavesdrop, you know.” she scolds gently. “But what did you hear that upset you so much?”

Kasumi heaves a dramatic sigh and launches into it, “Ojisan was teasing Daddy about his crush on Jesse-san and Daddy said he and Jesse-san are just friends but Ojisan isn’t  _ blind _ , you know, and called him out and Daddy said he’d already been happy  _ once  _ like he can’t be happy again? Then Ojisan said Daddy uses me as an excuse to be miserable and I don’t want Daddy to be miserable, I want him to make friends with Jesse-san, but he just-!” she growls in frustration “Why wouldn’t he want to be happy? It even says right here,” Kasumi opens the translated page and reads aloud,  _ “  _ _ But if you tame me, my life will be filled with sunshine.”  _ She taps the page for emphasis and looks up at Angela with her strange, golden eyes. “I want Daddy’s life to be filled with sunshine again.” 

Angela just blinks at the girl and then casts her eyes heavenward. “Give me patience, to deal with the stubbornness of men.”

“Right?” Kasumi huffs and slouches against the bench. 

“Kasumi,” she puts a soft hand on her arm, “Your father isn’t saying that he  _ wants  _ to be miserable, I think Genji was making an unfair assumption about that. I think… I think Hanzo meant that he doesn’t want to pursue anything  _ romantic  _ with Jesse and was being a little bit dramatic. Besides, I think he’s already very good friends with Jesse; and you  _ both  _ fill his life with light.” Angela tucks the girl into her side. “I believe Jesse is doing a fine job taming your father.”


	8. -eight-

_ “And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend.”  _

_ ―  _ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,_ ** **_The Little Prince_ **

 

It is tempting to go back to the range and shoot his anxieties away, it’s even more tempting to go find somewhere secluded to have a drink but he has to set an example for his daughter and so Hanzo goes to do something productive. He considers his options: he could make something for tomorrow’s lunch to be reheated, there are always dishes to be done or floors to be mopped, the bathroom could use a scrubbing… but a sound grabs his attention. Electronic beeping and exaggerated combat sounds are coming from the rec room. 

Hanzo peers inside and finds Hana playing what looks like a Pokemon game while Lucio is quietly working on something on the other side of the couch. Hanzo’s heart aches with how much it reminds him of his younger days with Genji… back when his brother would be the one playing games while Hanzo studied. He wishes he had cherished those days instead of stewing in jealousy over his brother’s freedoms. 

“Hey, oppa, do you want to play?” Hana glances back at him with a grin. “Or are you gonna lurk there forever?”

“I wouldn’t want to mess up your game-” The young woman just rolls her eyes and opens a new game file. “I suppose that is a compelling argument,” he laughs softly. “I have not played Pokemon in over 20 years.”

Hana slides over and pats the cushion in the middle. “C’mon, it’ll be fun. This one is a remake of Johto for Let’s go Eevee. Kasumi is with Angela, you can let loose for a little while.” Hanzo quietly wonders why Kasumi would seek out the doctor but finds himself gravitating to the couch and sitting. 

“So, how do we start?” he takes a controller from Hana and ignores the warm feeling in his chest when she gives him a hundred-watt smile. 

\--

Outside. Genji lies on his back in the grass and watches Jesse and Reinhardt wrestle. Zenyatta’s presence beside him is warm and soothing and he knows he ought to go find his brother and apologize for his callousness but… well, he’s embarrassed about it. Even after Hanzo had broken down and opened up to him in the med bay he  _ still  _ failed to recognize that his brother is mourning the loss of his wife. He sighs heavily, steam escaping from his vents, as he thinks that he might not be as enlightened as he thought he was. Hell, he doesn’t even know if Hanzo was married to Kasumi’s mother at all. 

“Genji, it is not helpful to stew like this. What’s on your mind?” Zen places a cool hand onto the cyborg’s forehead and threads his fingers back through the thick, black hair. 

“Is it possible that I’m a terrible brother?” he keeps his eyes on the two wolves, ashamed to face Zenyatta. 

“All little brothers are terrible. Hanzo will forgive your misstep as long as you recognize that you hurt him, even if it was unintentional.” The older man winces at that and rocks up to sit with his head between his knees. “It is human to err, you shouldn’t beat yourself up like this when the remedy is as simple as an apology.” 

“But it isn’t. I don’t even know if Hanzo was  _ married  _ to Kasumi’s mom. I don’t think he’s even mentioned her  _ name _ . If I was a good brother, I would have seen that he’s still grieving. I’d comfort him or give him advice since I’m supposedly so  _ enlightened  _ now.”

There’s a smile in Zenyatta’s voice when he asks, “Who said you were enlightened?” 

Genji’s face heats up. “Maybe I let the admiration of my friends go to my head. But still! I have been learning to recognize and reconcile my own emotions but I don’t even notice the feelings of the one person I should be closest to.”

“I hate to interrupt your pity party, Genji-kun, but you’ve been reunited with Hanzo for what? A couple weeks?” Jesse and Reinhardt sit on either side of Genji and Zenyatta, bracketing them in warmth. “You ain’t close to him anymore. He’s changed a lot in ten years, just like you have.” 

“Mm. And, forgive me, but from your tales of your youth it sounds as if you two were not very close before your… fight,” Reinhardt’s muzzle wrinkles at the word  _ fight _ , as if it’s not the word he wanted to use. 

Genji leans into Jesse’s furry bulk with a groan. “No. I like to think we used to be close as kids but you’re right. When we got older we grew apart and I didn’t think about anyone but myself back then. Maybe I’m jumping the gun with Hanzo?”

“No, I think it may simply be too soon for brotherly teasing about his crushes,” Zenyatta pats Genji’s back. “Take a moment to compose yourself and then go find him.” 

Reinhardt groans as he stands up and bares his teeth in a doggy smile, “Perhaps I should do yoga with you in the mornings, ja? These old bones don’t shift as well as they used to.”

“I’d pay t’see that,” Jesse snorts. 

Zenyatta hums thoughtfully, “If it’s painful then why did you shift?”

“For the little one, of course! Jesse spends too much time being a teacher, pups need to play,” he booms. 

“Aw get off my tail,” Jesse complains, “I play with her plenty. It’s just  _ educational  _ play.” 

Genji makes a face, “Yuck, educational play. When did you become  _ boring _ , Jesse?”

That earns him a bark, “Stop stallin’ and go find Hanzo, you shit-stirrer.” Genji flips Jesse’s ear inside out and runs off to the watchpoint to find his brother; he couldn’t have gone far. He ignores his friend’s annoyed barking and heads inside towards the dorms. 

Hanzo’s bedroom door is plain in comparison to Kasumi’s. There’s only a nameplate with his name in English and kanji and a single holographic sticker of an asian style dragon. Genji knocks and waits. 

And waits.

“Agent Shimada is not in his quarters, would you like me to page him for you?” Athena sounds like she might be laughing at him. 

Genji scowls at the ceiling, feeling silly for waiting almost a whole minute outside his brother’s empty dorm. “No, I can find him.” He checks the range, the gym, the comm tower and the catwalks in the hangar. No sign of Hanzo. No sign of Kasumi, either, now that he thinks about it. Maybe Hanzo is with her in the rec room? 

He meanders his way to the common room and goes over what he wants to say in his head. He’ll apologize, of course, but would his brother be amenable to having an actual talk? Genji didn’t like how Hanzo had said he’d already had his happiness. He definitely wants to talk to Hanzo about that, about his wife… not wife… partner? 

Inexplicably, he passes Angela walking with Kasumi. Angela has her Torah tucked under her arm and she’s chatting animatedly with the girl as they head towards, probably, her office. Well, Hanzo’s definitely not with his daughter.

Genji finds the rec room filled with shouted encouragement at his brother as he battles a gym leader. Hanzo is playing pokemon and apparently on the first gym while Hana, Lucio and Lena cheer him on from the couch. He actually leaves the room and comes back in to make sure he isn’t hallucinating, but it’s true. Hanzo is fighting Falkner with a Sentret and an Eevee. 

He lurks in the doorway and watches as Hanzo soundly defeats Falkner and gets his badge. Lena slaps a beer into Hanzo’s hand and the four toast to his victory. He looks so happy; it’s such an unexpected change from how Hanzo would behave after a fight  _ before  _ that Genji almost doesn’t know how to react to it. But then Hanzo notices him in the doorway and his expression shutters closed. He bends down to whisper something to Hana, who just nods and shoves him away playfully. 

He picks over the long legs stretched out on the coffee table, grabs another beer and makes his way over to Genji who, for all his grand ideas, feels a little like a deer in the headlights. He takes the offered beverage when Hanzo reaches him and follows mutely as he heads into the hallway towards the staircase. 

The brothers walk in silence to one of the open-air catwalks facing the ocean. The moon hangs like a pearl in the sky, round and shining and casting a silver light over the Watchpoint. “I apologize,” Hanzo’s voice is rough, “for how I acted earlier.” 

“No- I was out of line. I shouldn’t have teased you about McCree-” Genji nearly drops his drink as he rushes to reach out to his older brother. “I am truly sorry for ignoring your pain. Again.” 

Hanzo just hums and takes a pull from his drink- it’s one of Reinhardt’s strong German beers- keeping his eyes on the moon. “I have been a poor brother, I came here to mend my relationship with you and yet I realized… I have never told you anything of my life since I cut you down.”

Genji winces at the phrase, “I feel selfish, spending our mornings talking only of myself and the Shambali all these days… I never thought to ask after you.” 

His brother grins and gives Genji an amused look from the corner of his eye, “Some things never change. It was almost refreshing to listen to you ramble as you used to so I never corrected you.”

The younger Shimada blushes and takes a swig from his beer. “Then correct me  _ now _ , ani-chan. I want to know about her.”

“Yuki.”

“Hmm?” Hanzo’s eyes have gone distant again, like he’s looking into the past. 

“Her name was Yuki. Mamiya Yuki, one of the last of the Honshu wolves in Japan.”

Genji’s breath catches a little. Hanzo’s life was full of mysteries, but his heart wasn’t one of them. For all of his stoic acting, he was quite expressive in quiet moments, and in  _ this  _ moment Genji could see the weight of his brother’s love and the depth of his sorrow. He looks away, almost embarrassed to see so much of his brother suddenly laid bare. 

“Maybe you’ll laugh when I tell you. It feels like a fairytale…” Hanzo’s voice is soft, “I was a student at Tokyo University, taking a math class when I saw her. She was sitting in the row ahead of me taking notes in a pink pen.”

Genji listens as Hanzo tells him the story of him and Yuki, of how he lost her and then found her and lost her again. There are moments when his voice gets thick and tears gather in his eyes, but he keeps talking. Genji had no idea; how Hanzo had raised his wolf child alone, how they’d avoided the wrath of the Shimada-gumi as they trailed him around the world. 

“So you don’t know… how she died?” Genji fiddles with his shuriken. 

“No. It was ruled to be an accident. The authorities think she fell while hunting. I don’t know what drove her to do it, either. Maybe the call of the wild to get meat for her sick child.” Hanzo has long since drained his bottle and looks down as he peels off the label. 

“And you’ve been on the run with Kasumi ever since?”

“Mm. I thought the Shimada-gumi might have been involved so we fled in the night after the funeral.”

“You were never married?”

“No, we didn’t want anything on the books that might draw danger to her and Kasumi. That’s why she’s not a Shimada, not legally.” 

Genji swings his legs and contemplates aloud, “Do you think she’ll inherit a dragon?”

That makes Hanzo’s hands still on the bottle. “I do not know. We got ours when we were very young… maybe wolves make poor hosts for dragons.” 

“Maybe. There were never any wolves in the Shimada line until now.”

Hanzo looks up at the sky with a heavy sigh, “Maybe it’s for the best. Kasumi is a gentle soul, she doesn’t need to wield the dragons like you and I do. I want her to be happy, that’s my only wish for her.”

 


	9. -nine-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for the long delay between chapters. In December, my sweet baby Vesta had to be put to sleep and it hit me really hard. I lost all my inspiration. But, I'm beginning to feel better again and I will update again as soon as I can. Thank you all for your patience.

_ “People have forgotten this truth," the fox said. "But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed. You’re responsible for your rose.”  _

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  
  


Their first mission is to investigate a vigilante in Dorado that is slowly but methodically interrupting Los Muertos supply chains. The objective is to locate the masked man and recruit him to their cause, as well as gather information about a suspected Los Muertos weapons drop and stop it. The UN wanted to equip them with bodycams but Winston put his foot, or paw, down on the grounds that they were too easy to hack. Therefore, the group is on strict orders to act only to interrupt the Los Muertos supply drop and prevent civilian casualties. 

 

The mission is two days in and they’ve yet to find the mysterious masked vigilante known only as Soldier: 76. There are plenty of people in Dorado who have seen him, of course, but he’s like a ghost-- they only catch a glimpse of the back of his jacket or the red of the visor he wears over his face and then he’s gone in the night, Jesse, Hanzo and Angela are the ones assigned to the mission as they’re the most experienced in stealth and the ones most likely to be able to blend into the touristy crowd of Dorado, Mexico. Genji was suggested, of course, as he was in Blackwatch with Jesse, but it was decided that his cybernetics would stand out too much in the rustic town and that he might become a target due to anti-omnic sentiment in Mexico. 

 

Their cover is that they’re a group of friends on a summer trip so the three sharing a hotel room doesn’t rouse much suspicion. It’s got one double bed that the men are sharing and a single bed for Angela and a view of the city four floors below. Hanzo and Angela are in their hotel room  going over a map marked with known Los Muertos hangouts when Jesse blusters in with lunch and a wide grin on his tanned face. 

 

“You look like the cat who's got the cream,” Angela takes a bag from him. “Did you find a lead?”

 

“Yup,” he plops down on the chair by the window and sets a sweet-smelling bag of rolls on the bedside table. “I saw a cute lil bakery and went in to get us somethin’ sweet and struck up a conversation with the lady who owns it.”

 

Hanzo helps Angela set out the styrofoam boxes of food and nods along to Jesse’s story. “And she has seen this Soldier?”

 

“Naw, but her little daughter did. Apparently some thugs from Los Muertos stole her purse and she got caught up in a skirmish between him and the gang. According to the girl, 76 saved her from a grenade by shielding her with his body.”

 

Angela nearly drops her fork in shock. “He did  _ what _ ? We’ll need to check the local hospitals-”

 

“Nope, the girl says he walked away totally unharmed.” Jesse scoops up a big forkful of rice and beans as if to punctuate his statement. “Like it barely affected him. Either the girl is exaggerating, the grenade was a piece of shit, or we’re dealing with someone who might be beyond human.”

“You mean a lycan?” Angela slowly places her food down as she contemplates. 

 

“Or possibly someone from Blackwatch or SEP,” Jesse gives her a serious look. “Lycan healing factor is impressive but a grenade would definitely hurt us. I know Moira was into some sketchy human experimentation in Blackwatch and that some of the men got increased healing factor from it.”

 

“And that Talon has been recruiting ex-Blackwatch soldiers,” Hanzo frowns. “Perhaps this vigilante has been in contact with them. If that is the case, we will have to be much more careful.”

 

The medic nods in agreement, “Either way, we should speak to this girl directly. If the Soldier saved her then he might hang around to check on her or she may know a way to contact him.”

 

Jesse picks a roll from the bag, “Let’s head back tonight.” 

 

\--

 

Dorado is a gorgeous, sparkling city at night; alight with pink, orange and yellow lights strung between buildings like garland, giving the whole city a festive glow. These brightly lit areas are frequented by tourists and locals taking advantage of the bustling night market and stalls selling street food until after midnight. 

 

The bakery with their young informant is at the edge of the city, where the warm glow gives way to cool desert air, sleepy villas and mazes of alleys and narrow streets that branch like capillaries off the main thoroughfare. The building has peeling, faded paint but the windows are warm and the scent of fresh bread lures in customers by their noses. Jesse, Hanzo and Angela are the last ones to enter as the girl’s mother is wiping down the counter and girl in question is sweeping the floor. 

 

“Oh, Señor Vaquero,” the owner smiles at Jesse as he tips his hat to her. “Please, close the door behind you and flip over the sign.” The cowboy does as he’s bid and the group are led to the back and up a flight of stairs to where the family lives above the bakery. The girl seems fixated on Angela, watching her with wide eyes almost as if she’s starstruck. Angela gives her a small wave and the girl blushes. 

 

“You wanted to know more about the Soldier?” her mother gestures for them to sit. 

 

“If you could tell us anything, it would mean a lot to us,” Jesse politely removes his hat. “We’re hopin’ to recruit him to our cause and gather more information about Los Muertos.”

 

“And what cause might that be? We have enough shady characters skulking around in the darkness.”

 

“Overwatch,” Angela keeps her voice low. “The UN has not made it public just yet, but we were hoping that this Soldier would be amenable to working with us. However, it seems that the only person who has actually seen and spoken to him is your daughter.”

 

“Alejandra was rescued by him,” the older woman nods. “We have not seen him again but we know he is around. Gang activity has lessened since his arrival and the streets are safer.” 

 

Hanzo addresses Alejandra directly, “Do you remember anything about him that might help us find him?”

 

The girl purses her lips in thought, “He was older, but he was strong enough to carry a huge heavy-looking gun like it was nothing. He has white hair that’s receding a little and his voice was really deep and… como se dice, rasposo?” 

 

Jesse nods as Hanzo types her description into his phone. “And he walked away unharmed from a grenade blast?”

 

“He jumped over me to protect me, but it looked like he was hurt a little. He still could walk, though, and lug around that gun.”

 

“What did the gun look like?” Angela asks. 

 

“I can show you!” she hops up and runs down the hall, possibly to her room, and returns with an old Overwatch poster featuring the Strike-Commander Jack Morrison holding his signature pulse rifle and looking appropriately heroic with Angela in her pristine Valkyrie suit in the background. “It’s this gun.”

 

That makes Jesse and Angela snap to rapt attention, “Are you certain?”

 

“Yes. He had a gun that looks just like this one.”

 

The two former Overwatch agents exchange a look and Angela takes a photo of the poster. They thank Alejandra and her mother for the information as they head out the back door with Hanzo in tow. He doesn’t understand the sudden urgency, but keeps his questions for when they’re safely back at their hotel room. 

 

\-- 

 

“There was a break-in at the old Watchpoint: Grand Mesa several months ago,” Winston says over their secure connection. “A heavy pulse rifle was stolen along with several biotic emitters and other equipment. It must have been this Soldier fellow.”

 

“But why that gun specifically?” Angela presses. “The heavy pulse rifle is exactly that,  _ heavy _ . The only people who were capable of carrying it were SEP alumni and soldiers rejected from the German Crusaders. Not only that, but it’s an iconic weapon because it was favored by Jack. Anyone who saw him would know that weapon is Overwatch tech.” 

 

“Is the gun that unwieldy?” Hanzo has a hard time believing any R&D department would create a gun only usable by a small percentage of soldiers. 

 

“Well it was designed specifically for the Soldier Enhancement Program,” Winston adjusts his glasses and pulls up the files on the weapon. “It has a firing rate of 9 shots per second, fully automatic with a rapid-fire hitscan and a fall off range of about 55 meters. The gun was designed to remain steady even when firing at its full capacity and has an auto-targeting system that uses the helix rockets. After the SEP was disbanded the only ones who really made use of it were Jack and Gabriel until…”   
  


“Until Gabe got the plasma slag shotguns,” Jesse finishes. “Then it was pretty much Jack’s weapon of choice.” 

 

“Perhaps this vigilante is an Overwatch fanboy. If he was to work his upper body and core he might build the strength needed to wield it, especially if he was to use it exclusively after obtaining it,” Hanzo says, not unreasonably. “It might make him a lycan but I doubt he’s a SEP alumni or castoff from the Crusaders.” 

 

“Either way, we need to find this man,” Winston’s voice is decisive. “Our information has the dropoff set as tonight. If he’s committed to interfering in Los Muertos business he’s sure to be there.” 

 

\--

 

In the outskirts of the city, where the rolling hills transition to harsh desert, Los Muertos is operating an illegal weapons trade with the United States and other Mexican gangs. The drop location is at an old cemetary with weapons hidden inside mausoleums ready to go across the border and down into South America. Hover trucks are idling as the gang members in their signature fluorescent tattoos mill about looking threatening. 

 

Jesse, Hanzo and Angela creep among gravestones, looking for any signs of the Soldier and an opening to take out the weapons cache. The men must get a signal because they start loading up the hover trucks with weapons and crates. Jesse unholsters a flashbang as he creeps towards the largest hover truck and then stops dead in his tracks.

 

“What is it, Jesse?” Angela hisses over the comm as the cowboy lifts his head and sniffs the air. 

 

“What do you smell?” Hanzo has a scatter arrow ready across the graveyard. 

 

The cowboy snarls and they can see him in the beginnings of a shift; his ears are pointed and his beard seems to be taking over his elongating face. “ _ Jesse _ !” Angela throws a rock at him to try and grab his attention.

 

Hanzo, however, follows the gunslinger’s gaze to a mausoleum where a figure is crouched in the shadows. It’s bulky with muscle and has a red line glowing across where the eyes should be. The vigilante. Hanzo darts through the crumbling gravestones to try and reach McCree before he totally loses himself to the transformation and gives their positions away. 

 

A snarl rips through the air as Jesse tears through his clothes and shifts completely then lunges at the Soldier. The Los Muertos scream and scatter as 200+ pounds of teeth and fur barrel across the graveyard. Several men leap into the trucks and tear away in terror as the Soldier attempts to shoot at them  _ and  _ avoid the pissed off wolf. 

 

“JESSE!” Angela’s shriek cuts through the night as the Soldier lunges at McCree and the two meet in a tangle of fur and shredded clothing. The Soldier transforms, ripping through his clothes as his body expands and white fur covers his body. The two wolves tumble to the dirt as Jesse goes for the throat and the Soldier attempts defend himself.    
  
Hanzo is at Angela’s side in an instant as the two wolves crash through headstones and blood splatters on the ground. “I don’t know what to do,” she has her gun trained on the pair but her hands are shaking. “I wish Ana was here with her tranq darts. I don’t want to hurt them.”

 

“They’re blinded by rage,” Hanzo doesn’t want Angela to shoot them, either, but there’s no way he’s inserting himself into that fight. He needs to distract them somehow… he fumbles for an arrow and aims just over the pair. This  _ has  _ to work.  _ “Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!” _ The dragons roar into life and follow the arrow as it soars over the wolves. 

 

It has the desired effect: both wolves freeze to stare up at the iridescent blue dragons corkscrewing over their heads. 

 

Hanzo and Angela spring into action. Hanzo throws himself between the wolves while Angela scruffs McCree and tugs him forcefully away from the Soldier. Blood stains the ground and their fur but from a glance, the wounds seem like they’re already beginning to heal. “What the  _ fuck _ , Jesse James McCree, were you  _ thinking _ ?! We’re trying to make an ally of this man--”   
  


“Fuck him!” Jesse’s voice is a low growl in this form. “That asshole is Jack  _ fucking  _ Morrison! He’s supposed to be  _ dead _ !” 

 

“What?” Angela nearly loses her grip on Jesse as her head whips around to stare at the white wolf behind Hanzo. “Is… is it true?”

 

The pale lycan bows his massive head, “Yes.” his voice is gravelly and lower than Angela and Jesse remember, but when he lifts his head there’s no mistaking his cornflower blue eyes. “I thought I was hallucinating when I first smelled you guys in the area a couple days ago. I can’t believe you brought McCree here considering his bounty. You’re lucky Los Muertos didn’t kill you to turn him in.”

 

“Wh-” Angela splutters, “ _ You _ can’t believe  _ us _ ? Comm-  _ Jack--  _ we had a  _ funeral  _ for you. We all thought you were  _ dead _ . Why didn’t you contact any of us?” 

 

“Perhaps we should have this conversation elsewhere?” Hanzo interrupts urgently. “I believe we have attracted some unwanted attention.” There are sirens coming closer, and quickly. “Let’s split up and meet back at the hotel. I assume you know where we’ve been staying, Morrison-san?”

 

Jack nods and the four scatter before the police arrive. 

 

\--

 

An hour and a half later finds the group in the trio’s hotel room. Jack and Jesse had to shed their ripped clothes (with a lot of bellyaching from Jesse about losing a favorite shirt) and make the trek back as wolves rather than change back and face the indignity of walking naked. The two men remain in their furry forms and bristle at each other while Angela checks them over for injuries. 

 

There are only shallow lacerations and abrasions from their fight that are healing quickly but Hanzo has a feeling that the medic is purposefully cleaning the cuts out roughly as punishment for the two men losing their cool and blowing the whole op. Jesse yelps as she washes dirt from a wound on his belly, “Ow! Damn it, Ange, I said I was sorry!”

 

“What was that? You’re  _ sorry _ ?” Angela glares up at him. “Well, sorry doesn’t fix the mess you made. You’re lucky I’m not giving you stitches.”

 

Jesse whines and looks to Hanzo for support. “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed,” Hanzo sighs. The brown wolf’s ears flatten against his head and he whimpers pathetically.

 

Jack winces, looking away from the display. “It’s my fault, too. I should have made myself known to you guys in a controlled setting. I should have known better, Jesse was Blackwatch’s best nose.”

 

“Yes, why  _ didn’t  _ you come to us?” Angela’s voice is hard like steel. “Or, better yet, why did you play dead for  _ six years _ ? You left us to  _ mourn  _ while you played vigilante down here. You knew that any of us would have taken you in after Switzerland or helped you with the fallout. But instead you turned your back on your friends.”

 

“It’s not like that-”

 

“Then what  _ is  _ it like, Jack?” Jesse snaps. “You said we were pack. That we had each other’s backs. You must have known I was nearby. Hell, you obviously knew about my bounty; so where were you, huh? When I got my arm blown off where was my  _ pack _ ? When I was bein’ chased all across the Southern border and could’a used some fucken  _ support _ , where were  _ you _ ?”

 

The older wolf’s ears pin back against his head as he looks away from Jesse’s accusatory glare. His whole posture turns inward, as if he’s trying to make himself smaller, shame rolls off of him in waves. “I have a lot of regrets about how I left things. After the blown op in Italy and everything that went on with Ga- Reyes, I was certain that you especially wouldn’t want to see my face again. I know where your loyalty was, Jesse, and I was too much of a coward to face you after the things I said to Reyes. After what I said about Blackwatch. Then the explosion happened and… somehow I survived. It felt like I had been reborn, or saved, for a purpose. I could go out and do good in the world without the mantle of Jack Morrison hanging over my head or miles of red UN tape in my way.” 

 

“Sounds like a bunch of fucken excuses to me,” McCree snarls, “Although you’re right about you bein’ a coward. My loyalty was with Blackwatch, yeah, but goddamnit, I thought we were a pack. All of us Lycans together. You turned your back on us.”

 

“Jesse—“ Hanzo places a hand on the wolf’s shoulder. “I know that you’re angry. You’re hurt and betrayal are valid, but right now we’re still on a mission and Winston gave us an objective.”

 

“Winston? The scientist?” Jack perks up a bit with curiosity. “He’s running the new Overwatch?”

 

Angela nods, “He sent out the recall and we’ve been recruiting people to join. The UN even lifted the Petras act for us to be allowed to operate. We certainly interrupted the Los Muertos supply drop at the very least.”

 

“I’m guessing the other objective was to recruit me?” Jack shakes his head. “The UN won’t like a vigilante on the team. I’m amazed they approved of McCree and Shimada.”

 

“McCree is under probation, Winston spun his involvement as a second chance at rehabilitation.” At that, Jesse snorts. “He made the same case for Hanzo. I don’t know how he did it, but the members of the committee were touched by his hope for their, ah, redemption.” Angela gives the former commander a wan smile. “Besides, once they realize who you are-“

 

“No. I’d rather Jack Morrison stay dead,” 76’s hackles raise slightly. “As for your invitation, I have to decline, I have too much to do on my own to join the new Overwatch. I’m traveling to Egypt in a few weeks to take care of some unfinished business.”

 

“I’m guessin’ you ain’t gonna tell us what that business is?” 

 

Jack shakes his head, “The less you know, the better off you all will be. I don’t want WInston sending in a strike team and jeopardizing all of my hard work.”

 

Hanzo frowns at that, “Surely you would not be adverse to backup? Or an emergency evac if it becomes necessary?”

 

“I have backup waiting for me there. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you any more. Give Winston my regards.” The white wolf stands and shakes out his fur. 

 

“You’re leaving? Just like that?” Jesse stands in his way. “Not again you, son of a—“

 

“Jack-“ Angela digs through her bag and pulls out a comm. “At least take this. Please.”

 

Morrison gives her a hard stare. 

 

“Please, for our peace of mind.”

 

With a sigh, he gives in and takes it gently in his mouth before turning and clambering out the window and into the darkness beyond. 

 

Jesse blows out a gusty sigh, “Jack fucking Morrison. Jesus.” 

 

—

  
  



	10. -ten-

_“The night had fallen. I had let my tools drop from my hands. Of what matter now was my hammer, my bolt, or thirst, or death? On one star, one planet, my planet, the Earth, there was a little prince to be comforted._

_―_ **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

 

_The closet smells of cedar and the comforting mingling of hers and her father’s scents. She focuses on it and squeezes her eyes shut to block out the sounds just outside the door. Grunts, short cries, the ting of a blade being drawn-_

_No, no don’t listen. Her pulse pistol is tucked close to her side as she crouches in the dark and tries to think of something, anything, to keep her rising panic at bay._

_She thinks of her and her father’s favorite song:_ You’ve got it all, you lost your mind in the sound… there’s so much more, you can reclaim your crown… You’re in control, rid of the monsters--

_A crash. The coppery, metallic scent of blood. Kasumi drops her gun as the smell overwhelms her. It’s horrible, the smell of death and blood and evacuated bowels--_

 

Kasumi awakens with a short cry, thrashing in the blankets. She can’t breathe, it’s so dark- is she still in that horrible little closet?

“Sue? Kasumi? I’m opening the door!” A voice drifts through her panicked thoughts and then there’s _light_ and someone is wrapping her up in their arms. She sobs and clings to her savior, missing her father so much it hurts. “Are you okay? You were screaming. Kasumi, breathe with me ok? Inhale, exhale.” She presses her ear to their chest and breathes until the fog clears.

“You’re safe. Your name is Mamiya Kasumi and you’re at Watchpoint Gibraltar in your room.” The voice belongs to Lucio and he’s rubbing her back in soothing circles. They’re in a tangle of blankets on the floor and her side hurts like she fell on it. “There we go, shhhh, it’s okay. You’re okay.”

She snuffles and looks up at the audio-medic. He’s in his pajamas and his dreads are hanging loosely around his shoulders. “I’m sorry, it was… a bad dream.”

“Hey, no sorries. We all get nightmares,” he offers her a warm smile and a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to get some water or tea?”

“Tea,” she mumbles as they untangle themselves from her blankets. Kasumi takes his hand and follows him to the kitchen. “Can you make the cranberry apple one?” Lucio hums an affirmative and sets the water to boil.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Kasumi shakes her head and looks away. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep alone?” Another head shake.

The cup is placed in front of her with the tea bag leaking pink into the hot water as it steeps. “Is Hana-neechan awake?”

Lucio pulls a comm from his pocket and gives her a grin, “I bet she is. Her status is green. Come on, let’s go see what she’s playing tonight.” Kasumi picks up the mug and the two head to Hana’s bedroom. The door covered in logo decals-- her own, her fellow MEKA pilots’ and a few stickers from Lucio. He knocks and there’s a shout of “ _Come in!”_

Hana’s room is very pink, from her curtains to her bedspread to the fluffy area rug. She’s moved the table and desk to make room in the center of her room for two beanbag chairs and a mini holotank with several consoles stacked around it. Currently, she’s got on her headset and she’s intent on what looks like a horror game. When she notices Kasumi, she saves and shuts it off, “Hey yeodongsaeng, what’s wrong?”

“She’s had a rough night. I thought maybe we could have a sleepover?” Lucio wraps his arm around her slim shoulders as Hana’s face lights up.

“Sure! Lú, go grab some extra pillows and I’ll put on my bunny lights.” Hana hops up like a rabbit and flicks on a set of soft pink lights over her bed shaped like, well, bunnies. It gives the room a welcoming, pink glow when she shuts off the overhead lights. She moves her big pachimari plush out of the bed to make room for Kasumi and Lucio.

Kasumi climbs into the middle beside Hana as Lucio comes back in with an armful of pillows. He sets them along where their heads are and Kasumi notices that one pillow is from her father’s room and wrapped in one of his tee shirts.

“I thought you might feel better if you had a little bit of your dad,” he explains as she takes the offering and hugs it to her chest.

“Thank you,” she sniffs and tucks herself down between the two in the pillow nest. Kasumi listens to the low rumbling tone of Lucio’s voice as he talks quietly to Hana over her head and the higher melody of Hana’s replies. Her eyelids are so heavy, she nuzzles into her father’s pillow and within moments, she’s asleep; comforted and warm.

\--

_There is snow stretched for miles and miles all around her. She looks out upon fields strewn with bodies and feels… nothing. Her body burns with its own light as she walks the ancient battleground, carefully stepping over men and women from various eras in history. She does not look back, only keeps moving forward._

_A howl sounds in the distance. It cuts through the stillness around her, cuts through to her soul, and she begins to run._

_In the distance she can see a golden glow and the silouhette of a huge creature. It looks like a wolf but it is far too large. Kasumi’s body thrums in time with the creature’s ululation. She is glowing-- she is bounding over the souls of the men and women this thing has felled but she is not afraid--_

_Kasumi reaches out, knowing in her heart that this creature is her kin…_

 

Electronic beeping rouses her from sleep. She feels odd, like somehow her skin is too small for her soul. Kasumi opens her eyes slowly to see Lucio stretched out beside her. He’s drawing on his tablet in vibrant colors and bold lines. Hana has migrated from the bed to her beanbag to play a handheld game. She and Lucio are talking quietly, unaware that Kasumi is awake.

“Hana, you’re overthinking it.”

“I am not. There’s a language barrier, a _culture_ barrier. What if she meant it platonically? Besides, she said I was _cute_. Cute doesn’t necessarily imply attraction.”

“Cute implies aesthetic appreciation at the very least,” he undoes a brush stroke. “You could just message her back and ask for clarification. You’ve been talking for, what, a couple weeks?”

Hana throws a withering look at Lucio over her console. “She wants to be my _mechanic_.”

“You’re your own mechanic, but I suppose the engineer gene breeds true in the Lindholms. Maybe she’s interested in you _and_ the meka, ever think of that?”

“Eolgan-igadoeji mala,” Hana admonishes.

“Pare de ser um idiota,” Lucio shoots back good-naturedly. “I mean it. Just _talk_ to her. She’ll be here in a few days and you don’t want it to be weird.”

Kasumi has had enough of this, it’s bad enough that her father is annoyingly obtuse about his own feelings, she doesn’t need Hana-neechan to be in the same boat. She makes a show of yawning and stretching to distract them.

“Good morning starlight, the sunshine says hello,” Lucio laughs and ruffles her hair. “Did you sleep better?”

“Mmhmm,” Kasumi hums. “Thank you for letting me stay.”

“Don’t worry about it, gang-aji. You’re always welcome here,” Hana stands and pops her back. “I think Torb is on breakfast duty. How about we go out and get donuts? My treat.”

That startles a laugh from the DJ. “Sure, let me get dressed.” He and Kasumi clamber from the bed and go to their respective rooms to change. Kasumi chooses a pair of yellow shorts and a light pink shirt with a hood that has cute bunny ears. Her hair refuses to lie down so she fluffs it and tries to make it look like it was done on purpose. Anytime she’s out with Hana and Lucio there are photos and she wants to look good for the inevitable Twitter story or Snapchat video.

\--

What started as a simple donut run turns into a full supply run with Genji and Lena in tow. The cyborg is dressed down in jeans and a lightweight hoodie to hide his cybernetics. His mask is off and he’s applied some foundation to hide the worst of the scarring. Like this, Kasumi can see the handsome young playboy from the photos on her desk. His hair is a vibrant shade of green that makes her a little jealous… she’s always wanted to dye her hair but her father always said no.

Genji catches his niece giving him a look in the backseat and tips his head to one side. “What’s with that face?”

Her cheeks turn pink and she glances down. “I was just looking at your hair. I like the green.” For some reason, that makes Genji laugh out loud and pull her into a side hug.

“I was thinking of picking up some dye for my hair, too,” Hana pops a bubble from shotgun. “I’m thinking pink or blonde.”

“Por que não ambos?” Lucio leans forward to twirl a lock of Hana’s dark hair. “You’d look good with an ombre.”

That makes Lena gasp with delight, “Ohh you _should_! Hana that would be so beautiful on you! I even know a lady in town who did Emily’s hair last time she visited.”

Genji hums and leans back as the younger people discuss whether Hana should do highlights or an ombre. Kasumi is tucked into his side and looks deep in thought. “As Jesse would say, a penny for your thoughts?”

Kasumi frowns up at her uncle. “What’s a penny?”

“Uh-” he stalls for a moment. “It was currency, one percent of one credit.”

“My thoughts are worth more than that,” the girl huffs and gives her uncle a gentle elbow. “But I was thinking, I wish Daddy would let me dye my hair.”

“Hanzo didn’t like when I dyed my hair either,” he confides, “but I think he was just jealous that he can’t pull off awesome colors.”

The group pulls into a parking lot near enough to walk everywhere they have to be later. “The cafe is that-a way,” Lena points to the left, “And then I’ll go with Hana and Sue to the salon while the boys get our supply drop.”

“Aw, but you’ll be there for _hours_ ,” Genji whines. “I wanted to spend some time with my favorite niece.”

“She’s your _only_ niece and we can steal her after we grab the stuff,” Lucio links arms with the older man. “C’mon, Rein ordered like a whole pallet of coffee and it’s going to be a bear to carry.”

\--

Kasumi eyes a shelf of color-depositing conditioners while Hana sits in foil and bleach. Lena is perched on a chair nearby, taking photos of The Process for D. va’s  Instagram followers. The meka pilot decided on a blonde to pink balayage after a quick Twitter poll and a barrage of excited comments on Instagram. The adults seem sufficiently distracted so the girl slips over to the shelf of white bottles labeled with a variety of colors.

All of the before and after pictures show _blonde_ hair, though, which is disappointing. Kasumi wanders along the aisle looking longingly at the products.

“Do you need help, miss?” a woman in black with a store name tag on her apron asks at her third forlorn sigh at a bottle of purple. Kasumi jumps a little and puts the bottle back guiltily.

“O-oh. No, I just… my daddy said I can’t dye my hair.”

“This product isn’t permanent,” the lady explains, pointing to the bottle she’d just put back. “What it is, is a conditioner that deposits color onto your hair and then fades away if you stop using it. That way, you’re not bleaching and damaging your hair like I’m sure your father is worried about.”

Kasumi’s eyes widen and she looks down at the comm clipped to her pocket. It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission… and it’s not like she’s going to a normal school with a dress code to worry about…

“Do you want me to get it for you?” Hana has wandered over to the aisle with foils still wrapped around her hair. “This will give your hair have a little bit of a tint, not a whole head of bright purple.” She winks, “And I’ll deal with your dad. He needs to loosen up a little anyway, let you have some _fun_.”

“I’ve always liked purple,” Kasumi picks up the bottle that says _for dark hair_ and tucks her comm away. If Daddy doesn’t like it then she can always just stop using it and her hair would go back to its normal, boring brown.

\--

Genji comes to collect Kasumi for lunch while Hana is getting baby pink painted onto the ends of her hair. Lucio chooses to stay with _the ladies_ so the Shimadas can have some quality time. The pair walk hand-in-hand through the crowded midday streets, looking for somewhere not too crowded to eat. “There is a lovely little restaurant that Angela and I used to go to when I was in Blackwatch. I wonder if it’s still here,” Genji muses. “It has a wonderful view of the Bay; sometimes you can see dolphins playing out in the sea.”

Kasumi half-listens to Genji-ojisan, preoccupied by her small act of rebellion and the odd, too-tight feeling in her skin. Ojisan’s hand is cool to the touch, articulated fingers squeezing her hand gently to catch her attention. “Kasumi-chan, are you okay? You look flushed.” They duck into the little restaurant where Genji kneels in front of her and presses his other hand to her forehead. “You’re a little warm. I think maybe you got too much sun, yeah?”

She nods, she _feels_ a little warm now that he mentions it. “I think so. Maybe I should have picked a short sleeve shirt.” Her uncle flags down a waiter

“I’m sorry, but my niece is feeling a little overheated, can we please sit inside and get her a glass of ice water?”

“Of course, sir.” They’re led inside to a little booth and within minutes there’s a fresh glass of cold water in front of her. Genji is on the comm with Lucio, brows furrowed. Kasumi sips her drink, hoping the water will cool her overheated skin and ease the pressure in her temples.

“No, she’s not clammy to the touch. She’s still sweating a little. Do we have a bath, like a tub? Somewhere she can sit in cool water.” Genji taps the table in front of her and mouths _drink._ “Yeah, yeah I’ll be on my way back when she finishes her water. Yeah, yeah. Okay. No, I don’t think Hanzo needs to be worried about anything just yet.” He ends the call and reaches across the table to press his hand to her head and cheek. “You feel a little cooler, and you look less pink. I think it was just too much sun. Lucio will draw you a nice cold bath when we get back.”

“I’m sorry I messed up our outing--”

“Don’t worry about it,” he waves her apology away. “We can still spend the evening together and I’ll help you put that purple treatment on your hair. Then we’ll watch a movie and you can stay with me tonight. How does that sound?”

They meet everyone at the van. Lucio is waiting with a soft, healing playlist that soothes the ache in Kasumi’s head. The drive back is in relative quiet, Genji has his niece leaning against his cool chestplate while Lena turns up the AC. By the time they reach the Watchpoint, Genji has to carry Kasumi inside. She feels exhausted, even though the day was barely strenuous at all. She’s never had a problem with the sun before--even in the middle of a Japanese summer she had always been _fine_ and tells Lucio as much when they reach the medbay.

The Watchpoint does, indeed, have a tub. It’s main purpose was for soldiers who couldn’t stand in the showers but it works just fine for Kasumi. The thing is tucked away in a private bathroom  in the medbay and it’s large enough for a full grown man to recline in. Lucio fills it with cool water and, if her nose is right, a little bit of eucalyptus or aloe. The girl strips down and climbs in, sighing with relief at the cooling sensation. Her skin feels so _hot_ , especially along her left arm and under her eyes.

Lucio pours water from a jug carefully over her head, banishing the heat as suddenly as it came. “Do you want me to wash your hair?”

“No, I can do it. I- actually feel a lot better. Genji-ojisan must have been right about the sun.” Kasumi squirts shampoo into her hands and works her hair into a lather. “Maybe European sun is different from Japanese sun?”

“The heat index was pretty high today, and it was very sunny. Next time, we’ll make sure to bring water with you and maybe invest in a sunhat.” The medic hands over the bottle of colored conditioner after she dunks herself under water to rinse. “It says to leave it in for 20 minutes to tint uncolored hair. I suggest rinsing it out in Genji’s shower later instead of sitting in the water for that long.”

\--

Dried, changed into clean pajamas and dripping onto a black towel around her shoulders, Kasumi taps at Genji-ojisan’s door. She set a timer on her comm for 25 minutes, just to be sure the color would deposit.

The automatic door slides open with a pneumatic hiss. Genji-ojisan’s room is decorated all over with souvenirs from his travels. On the wall over his bed is the Dragon Brothers scroll (or maybe a copy of it), every other wall is covered in photographs of the places he’s seen: the ruins of Machu Picchu, the pyramids of Giza, Carnival, a lantern festival, Aurora Borealis, Holi, Mardi Gras, several shots of Fuji-san and temples across Japan, mountains, jungles, beaches… Kasumi’s eyes are wide as she makes a full circle in the center of the room. Some photos are selfies, others have Zenyatta in them. There are several others with the same gaggle of omnics in bright robes in a mountain temple. “Wow.”

Genji beams at her expression. “I had a lot of opportunities to travel in my youth. Some of these are from Blackwatch missions and even a couple I saved from vacations with Hanzo and my parents while we were children. See, here’s one of us all in Hawaii.” He points to a picture of a family on a pristine white beach. “That’s me, gods I had such chubby cheeks. I must have been four? That’s Hanzo, holding your Sojiro-ojiisama’s hand and next to them is your obaasama, Akane.”

Kasumi touches the photo with her fingertips. Her father looks just like his mother, they have the same face and the same widow’s peak. Both boys have their mother’s strong eyebrows- the same ones she inherited- and their father’s nose. Genji-ojisan looks more like their father, especially as an adult. He has the same shaped face, a similar build. “You all look so happy.”

“We were, back then.” Genji puts his good hand on her shoulder. “Things changed after our mother passed away. Chichi-ue was only a Shimada by marriage and had to become harder, more ruthless to be accepted by the Family. I thank the Iris that you will never know what it was like growing up in that environment.”

The trilling alarm from her comm startles them from their melancholy. “Oh! Time to rinse! Ojisan can I use your shower?”

“Of course. Rinse in warm water until it runs clear and then run your hair under cold water before you get out. I’ll blow it dry when you’re done.” he shoos her into the bathroom.

For someone who claims to have lived as a monk, Genji-ojisan has a lot of beauty products on his sink. Kasumi spies foundation, concealer, eyeliners, eyeshadow palettes, hair putty, three different face masks and a container full of hair dye equipment. She shakes her head, strips and hops in the shower. The conditioner rinses a troubling amount of purple down the drain. Hopefully at least _something_ stuck to her hair.

She wraps a towel around her head and redresses, “Okay! I’m ready!” Genji-ojisan opens the door and fishes a hair dryer from below the sink. He’s gentle as he dries her hair, brushing it as he goes so it doesn’t tangle. “I can see the purple!” Kasumi’s eyes are wide as her dark hair turns a deep violet in the light. “I look so _cool_.”

“It’s nice and subtle, I don’t think Hanzo will mind it. Do you want me to paint your nails, too?”

“Yes, please!”

Once her hair is dry, they pick out a nail polish (gold) and sprawl out on the floor in front of the holo set. A movie plays in the background while Kasumi gets her nails done and they take silly Snapchat selfies. The day catches up to her about a third of the way into the movie and the pair decide it’s best to turn in for the night.

Tomorrow her father is returning with Jesse-san and Angela-sensei and then, at the end of the week, Torbjorn-san’s daughter is coming to join the cause. Genji-ojisan rubs her back as she relaxes into the bed, humming softly. She doesn’t recognize the song, but even with the modulation, her uncle has a lovely voice.

\--

_There is snow for miles and miles around her but the battleground is gone, a distant memory. She turns towards the sun--_

_Not the sun, but it is glowing on the horizon and she knows she must follow the light. Kasumi feels the warmth on her cheeks and, oddly, in her left arm. She looks down and gasps at herself._

_Her fur is as white as the fallen snow and there are golden rays of light on her left foreleg. The pattern reminds her of lightning. It looks like there is energy trapped under her skin…_

 


	11. -eleven-

_“When someone blushes, doesn't that mean 'yes'?”_

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

  


It feels good to be back on the transport and returning to Gibraltar. Two days away from Kasumi, leaving her for the first time in the company of others without any contact, has stretched Hanzo to his absolute limit. It makes him a little irritable as they go over the data they managed to salvage from the op. They had confirmed that Los Muertos was actively trading weapons across international borders, interrupted a supply drop, and confirmed the identity of Soldier: 76.

However, they had _not_ managed to confiscate or destroy any of Los Muertos weapons, had caused property damage to the graveyard and failed to recruit Soldier 76, aka Jack Morrison. It was a devastating loss and it was, mostly, because of the cowboy currently chewing on an unlit cigar. “We’ll have to find a way to spin this into a net positive,” Angela sighs over her report. “Otherwise this first mission might also be our last.”

Jesse leans forward in his chair and drops his hat on the table to run his fingers through his hair. “I shouldn’t’ve lost my cool like that. I just-- I wasn’t expectin’ to see _him_ . I thought maybe… I don’t know what I thought. I was just so _angry_ that he survived and then went all rogue gunman knowin’ that we were out here mournin’ him.”

“You need to be master of your emotions. You need to be able to remain focused on the _objective-_ ” Hanzo tries not to snap, but judging by the flash of silver in the cowboy’s eyes, he fails.

“Y’think I don’t know that?”

“Gentlemen,” Angela slaps a hand on the table. “Enough, I think we’re all on edge right now and we should debrief with everyone before we write up our formal reports.” Both men grumble and Hanzo walks away from the table. He needs to take his own advice and control his temper. Hanzo pulls his comm from his pocket and opens a chat with Kasumi.

_ >Hanzo: We are flying over the ocean, we should be landing in about 16 hrs. How have you been? _

_ >Kasumichan:  (ㆁᴗㆁ✿) good! I learned 2 make rugelach 4 Angela-neesan _

_ >Hanzo: That sounds exciting. Is that a dessert? _

_ >Kasumichan: （*´▽`*) yes! We made enough 2 save u some (♡´౪`♡) _

_ >Hanzo: What else have you been up to? _

_ >Kasumichan: Hana-neechan dyed her hair!! (ᗒᗨᗕ)♡♡♡♡ _

Attached is a picture of Hana with her hair a golden blonde and rosy pink at the ends. It’s a shocking transformation but Hanzo decides that it looks good on her, she matches her meka now.

_ >Hanzo: It is very pretty. Did you go with her to the salon? _

_ >Kasumichan: (・・；) yes. U have 2 promise not 2 b mad _

Gods help him. Hanzo was hoping Kasumi wouldn’t do anything shocking to her hair until she was in her teenage years. He braces himself for the worst as the picture sends.

It’s a selfie of her and Genji. He sees his brother is back to green and his daughter has decided on a deep purple. It’s actually quite tasteful, considering who’s standing beside her and what a bad influence he is. Hanzo breathes a sigh of relief that its not any shade of green or blonde; he’d had enough of that in his youth with Genji.

 _ >Hanzo: It is very nice. Next time ask me before. Is it dye? _ _  
_ _ >Kasumichan: No! Its conditioner! Its only purple if i use it ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ _

_ >Hanzo: Good. At least you didn’t damage your hair like your ojisan does _

_ >Kasumichan: Jichan says hello & that ur a grump （⌒▽⌒） _

Another selfie sends, this time of Genji sticking out his tongue and giving a peace sign. Hanzo actually chuckles and sends back a selfie of his own with a doggy filter. Kasumi would enjoy it and her terrible uncle was probably going to make it his caller ID photo.

“I didn’t take you for the selfie type,” Angela says from behind him. Hanzo spins around to find the woman with her own phone out and a shit-eating grin. “I just came to warn you that Jesse decided to be a furrball and he’s deliberately shedding all over.”

Hanzo wrinkles his nose, he’d left his jacket out there. “I should go rescue my coat, then. Are you coming back here to sleep? I know Jesse’s snoring kept you up in the hotel.”

“Yes, if you two could keep it down?” Angela wanders over to one of the cots built into the wall. “And _you_ snore, too, Mr Shimada, the pair of you were like _chainsaws_.”

Hanzo doesn’t dignify that with a response, leaving Angela to her nap and joining Jesse in the main area of the plane. The man’s clothes are in a neat pile on the table and he’s laying on Hanzo’s black jacket like he has a right to be there. Hanzo walks over and stands above the wolf with his hands on his hips, “You know I _was_ coming out to apologize for my rudeness earlier.”

“You still can,” he gives Hanzo an upside down doggy grin. From this angle, Hanzo can appreciate how long McCree is in this form. His deep chest has two curious scars where the fur hasn’t quite grown back in and he stretches shamelessly on the ground with tail wagging mischievously. There are other scars that he can see, on the stump of his arm mostly but also his shoulders and one on his muzzle.

“I think not. You are shameless, roll over.” Hanzo nudges his side with his foot. “Nobody wants to see all of that.”

“You like it,” it’s odd seeing a wolf wink but he obliges and rolls onto his side.

“Keep the mystery alive,” Hanzo shoots back playfully. He’s relieved that there seem to be no hard feelings about his outburst earlier. It was unfair of him to snap at Jesse when he reacted very similarly upon meeting Genji. He plops down in the arch of Jesse’s body and leans against him, reaching for his tablet and then making himself comfortable.

“Now who’s bein’ shameless?” his laugh rumbles through his body, “Awfully presumptuous of you, Shimada-san.”

“We slept in the same bed for 2 nights,” he pats Jesse’s flank, “there is no need to be shy. Besides, you are more comfortable than these cursed chairs and we will be here for sixteen hours.”

\--

They spend the next few hours chatting about everything and nothing, casually flirting in a way that’s almost frighteningly natural for Hanzo. He asks about Jesse’s scars, “What happened here?” tracing the slim line on his back paw.

“Genji,” he chuffs. “I might’a deserved it though.”

“What did you do?”

“I might have asked if he still had his dick under all that armor,” he grins sheepishly at Hanzo’s scandalized look. “I told you I deserved it. He shot a shuriken right into my foot and ruined my favorite boots.”

“And here?” Hanzo glances at the scars just barely visible under his forelegs where his pectorals would be in human form.

“Had t’ get somethin’ off my chest.” Hanzo snorts and gives McCree a swat for the terrible joke.

“You’re _awful_!”

“Maybe, but you still laughed,” Jesse’s tail thumps on the floor as he snickers at his own bad pun. “It was a weight off my shoulders, that’s fer sure.”

“Enough, you terrible man,” he flicks Jesse’s ear.

\--

Eventually, Jesse succumbs to sleep. Hanzo, in an effort to remain awake, is doing katas while the wolf dozes with his serape over him like a blanket. He glances at Jesse and freezes when he spots it: peeking just out of his mouth is the tip of his pink tongue.

Hanzo uses all of his stealth training from childhood on to creep over to his phone and snap a photo of the blep. He freezes when the wolf snuffles in his sleep and yawns hugely. Hanzo gets a quick shot of that, as well, saving it in his phone as _teef._

“Mmph, whazzit?” Jesse rolls over and falls back to sleep, saving Hanzo the embarrassment of getting caught taking adorable pictures of his teammate. He carefully places the cowboy hat on McCree’s head and snaps one more picture (with another blep, he is truly blessed) before leaving the poor man alone and returning to his exercises.

\--

Jesse is doing pushups in an effort to keep himself entertained during the last leg of the long flight. He’s shed his flannel and shirt and is trying to impress Hanzo by doing his exercise one-handed. “You know that would be more impressive if it wasn’t your cybernetic arm,” he smirks as the cowboy starts doing one-finger pushups.

“Hey now, the biceps do all the work and that’s 100% me, darlin’,” the cowboy puffs a laugh. He switches to the other arm. “See? All beef, all day.”

That makes the archer snort from where he’s examining the fletching on his arrows. “Grade-A American beef?”

“You know it, baby. I can yeet an omnic clear across this room.” His back is strong, muscles flexing as he goes up, down, up and down. There’s a tattoo on his lower back, twin pistols, and Hanzo finds himself wanting to reach out and touch with his hands, with his tongue.

“Yeet? You really _are_ an anachronism.”

Jesse gets to his feet and meanders over to Hanzo’s seat. The lycan leans over the table and from here, Hanzo can smell him: musky with the smoke from his cigars clinging to him. He allows his eyes to flicker down his hair-covered torso to his thick waist and obscene belt buckle. McCree is built like a wolf, even as a man, and Hanzo feels his mouth go a little dry when Jesse reaches out to cup his face with his cybernetic hand.

“You can do more than just look, you know,” he rumbles. Whiskey and moonlight meet when Hanzo’s gaze snaps back up. “Tell me to stop,” Jesse breathes as he leans in, stopping just short of the other man’s lips.

“Angela is in the next room,” he whispers, heart hammering in his chest. Jesse just chuckles.

“Angie is engrossed in her work, she’ll be a while. Besides… I can be quiet.” He tips Hanzo’s head to nip at his earlobe, “Can you?”

The dam holding Hanzo back explodes. He surges up and presses their mouths together in a heated kiss. Jesse’s lips are soft and their beards scrape together before they find the right angle. Arrows clatter to the floor as Hanzo drags Jesse around the table and the bigger man straddles his lap.

Hanzo whimpers into Jesse’s mouth when he grinds down onto him. The lycan feels like he’s everywhere, one big hand undoes Hanzo’s hairtie while the other reaches between them to cup his pec. He gasps at the rough squeeze and dips his head back with a soft cry of _“Jesse.”_

“Shhh,” the wolf growls against his neck, nipping and pressing hot, wet kisses along the column of his throat. “God, you’re so gorgeous. I wanna watch you fall apart, wanna fuck those perfect tits,” Jesse’s voice is like gravel as he whispers delicious filth against Hanzo’s skin. “If I had my kit I’d bend you over this bench right now.”

Hanzo’s cock is an iron bar in his pants as the cowboy rides him. “You like that, don’t you, Hanzo? Like when I do this?” His hips press down and then roll sensually and if Jesse keeps this up Hanzo might embarrass himself. “You can touch, baby.”

His hands tremble a little when he reaches out to finally, finally touch skin. He drags his nails down Jesse’s back, savoring the low moan that it elicits, down to his waist. He squeezes, just a little, because he _can_ , and then grabs two handfuls of his ass. “Jesse--”

“You like my ass, don’t you, darlin’? I’ve seen the way you look at me, I catch you checkin’ me out when I walk by.” Jesse rucks Hanzo’s shirt up to his armpits and uses both hands to tease his pecs, pushing them together and flicking his thumbs over his dusky pink nipples. “Your tits are so perfect,” he breathes as he catches Hanzo’s mouth in a biting kiss. “Wanna see ‘em covered in honey, let me lick ‘em clean.”

Hanzo whines, he’s so hard it almost hurts, wedging a hand between them to open his pants and relieve some of the pressure on his cock. Jesse chuckles, a dark sound, and slides his good hand down to cup Hanzo through his briefs. “Packin’ some mighty fine heat down here, gorgeous.” He mouths along Hanzo’s neck and nearly moans, “Can I see it, sweetness?”

Hanzo slides his cock out through the slit of his underwear, shivering at Jesse’s intense gaze. His storm cloud eyes flash silver as he wraps his hand around Hanzo’s shaft. His cock is the same dusky color as his nipples, flushed and leaking precome as the cowboy slowly, agonizingly, slides his foreskin down to expose the sensitive head. “ _Jesse--_ ” Hanzo weeps into his shoulder as the other man works him over with long, slow strokes.

“Shhh, shhh I got’cha. Come for me, Hanzo. You can do it.” He does, clinging to Jesse and digging little half-moons into his shoulders with his nails. Hanzo can’t help the tears that spill over as Jesse caresses him through his orgasm. “You did so good, so good for me, baby. Let me clean us up.” Jesse leaves him for a few minutes to get a washcloth and towel from the little bathroom to wipe them down. Hanzo is transfixed by the white pearls of his come trapped in the hair on Jesse’s belly, unable to form a single coherent thought even as Jesse kisses him again and wipes their bodies with the wet cloth.

“I didn’t-- you didn’t--”

“Next time, sugar. Go wash your face and I’ll clean up this room yeah?” Hanzo nods dumbly and tucks himself back into his clothes. By the time he’s washed his face and put his hair back up, the room is put back to normal and Jesse is fully dressed.

“I hope Angela did not hear, um, what just happened,” Hanzo’s face burns as he joins Jesse at the little table.

“Nah, she’s got noise-canceling headphones that Lucio gave her since his room is next to hers.” The cowboy grins down at Hanzo, “You can cool that pretty blush, darlin’.” Hanzo leans against Jesse’s side and blows out a sigh.

“That was… very nice.”

A barklike laugh, “High praise, Mr Shimada.” He presses a kiss to Hanzo’s buzzed temple. “I feel like we should talk about it when we get back to base, somewhere a bit more private.” The archer nods, even as he turns his face up for a proper kiss.

“Things did escalate… rather quickly.”

\--

After sixteen hours stuck on a ship with recycled air, Hanzo feels almost lightheaded breathing in fresh sea air back at Gibraltar. He and Jesse agreed to keep whatever was between them private until they could discuss their… _relationship…_ together. Everyone is waiting for them at the hangar in a loose semi-circle, although Kasumi breaks formation to run to her father as soon as he’s off the Orca. She crashes into him for a tight hug that elicits several _aww’s_.

“Oof, I missed you, too. Let me see this hair now,” Hanzo holds her at arms length and examines her dark purple hair with a critical eye under the fluorescent lighting. Kasumi squirms under his scrutiny and visibly relaxes when his face breaks out into a grin. “Lovely. Much better than green.”

“Hey now,” Genji laughs as he picks up his brother’s duffel bag. “The ladies _love_ the green.”

Angela rolls her eyes, “At least now you match your running lights again.”

They gather in the conference room to debrief about the mission while Kasumi goes back to bed; she’d chosen to stay in her father’s room that night so they could share a bed when he got back.

In the main conference room, Angela takes the lead on going over the mission. She explains that they met a child who gave them a lead on Soldier 76’s identity, and confirmed it when they met the man at the Los Muertos weapons exchange site.

“It _is_ Jack Morrison, although he said that he no longer wishes to be known to the public. He claimed to have business in Egypt, although he would not tell us what he was planning or who he was meeting. I have a feeling it is in relation to the bounty hunter known as the Shrike who has been targeting Talon operations when not taking specific contracts, but that is just a hunch.”

Winston frowns, adjusting his glasses. “We do have some contacts within Helix that we can get in touch with. Let them know of our suspicions and to keep an eye out for Morrison. It’s… it’s unfortunate that he doesn’t want to rejoin Overwatch but given how it ended for him… I can understand.”

Lena smacks her hands on the tabletop, “I can’t. I _can’t_ forgive him for deceiving us like this. I’m sorry loves, but if he wants to stay gone then good riddance.” She blinks to the door and out of the room in a flurry of tears. Jack had been more than just her Commander, she had been close to him and had been among the most deeply affected by his death. Jesse understands her feelings all too well, it’d be like if Reyes had survived the blast and secreted himself away for selfish reasons.

After that outburst, the room quiets down. “I’m thinkin’ we should adjourn for the night. At least let the lass compose herself so she can hear everythin’ else tomorrow,” Torbjorn announces, standing up from his seat. Reinhardt nods in agreement.

“Ja, discovering that Jack is still alive… it is a lot to digest. I feel like we all need a night to process this information.” There are murmured assents as they all start to stand and make their way to their beds.

Jesse and Hanzo linger in the doorway after everyone else leaves. “Tomorrow?”

Hanzo nods, “I think that would be wise. I will meet you in the rooftop garden? After breakfast?”

The cowboy nods, “It’s a date, darlin’.”

\--

Hanzo finds Kasumi in his bed wrapped up in all of the blankets so only the top of her head is peeking out. He chuckles and quietly changes into pajama pants and a tee shirt, brushing his teeth and deciding that the stubble marring the line of his goatee can wait until tomorrow. He carefully unrolls his daughter from her cocoon and rearranges the blankets over the both of them.

He’s just relaxing when her small voice pipes up, “Daddy?” Kasumi’s eyes glow gold in the light from the open window. “I’ve been having weird dreams.”

Hanzo smooths her hair from her forehead, “What kind of dreams?”

“There’s a battleground sometimes, but it’s always snowing and there’s a wolf-thing far away calling me. I’m glowing and my fur is white… and I’m filled with lightning.” Her eyes are wide as she describes it, Hanzo can almost see the light coming from within her but then he blinks and it’s gone, replaced with moonlight and blue shadow.

“Has anything… odd happened? Strange headaches? Tingling in your arms and legs?” It sounds almost like when Hanzo was a child and about to inherit his dragons. He’d had strange, hyper realistic dreams, odd flu-like symptoms and the feeling of being full of energy that wasn’t his. Could Kasumi have her own spirit guardian?

She nods, “I’ve been getting hot easily and headaches. I feel tingling on my face and in my arm.”

“Have you told Lucio or Angela about this?” A head shake. “Perhaps tomorrow we should speak with Zenyatta and your jichan, get their perspectives.”

“What’s _your_ perspective?” she yawns, sleep finally beginning to get the better of her.

“I think you might be on the precipice of something extraordinary,” Hanzo kisses her forehead as she drifts off. It seems as if there will be a lot of important discussions tomorrow.

 


	12. -twelve-

_“Of course, I love you,' the flower said to him. 'If you were not aware of it, it was my fault.”_

**_― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

 

It's early in the morning, just after breakfast, when the cowboy finds Hanzo heading back from the gym. “So, I know we said the garden, but I thought maybe we could go out into town and maybe get coffee?” Jesse rubs the back of his neck, face turning a charming shade of pink. “Y-you know since the mood on base is pretty low right now and I-- I don’t want--”

“Coffee would be lovely,” Hanzo rescues the cowboy from his stammering. “Kasumi is with Reinhardt today, training in how to effectively wield a hardlight shield.”

“She’s really progressin’, ain’t she?” Jesse holds out his arm for Hanzo, “Shall we enjoy our morning then?”

The archer takes the cowboy’s elbow, feeling a little foolish and a little bit smitten. “Lead the way.” The pair make their way down to the garage where Overwatch’s fleet of vehicles is parked. Hanzo slips away from his gentleman to examine their choices: there is, of course, the econoline van used for supply runs, several nondescript sedans, a sporty little coup with two yellow racing stripes going over the hood, several sleek sportsbikes branded with the Overwatch logo and a candy-apple red hovercycle.  “I assume this is yours?”

“Well,” he chuckles, “Let’s say I _liberated_ it from an old acquaintance of mine.”

“As tempting as it is, I think we should take a more nondescript car. Something classic, to go with your current style. I’m honestly surprised you own a shirt that isn’t plaid.” Hanzo takes a moment to appreciate Jesse’s change of attire: a deep maroon button down over a black shirt and dark jeans. His belt buckle is switched out for a brassy eagle with wings spread instead of his usual BAMF.

“Hey now, I think I clean up real nice,” Jesse grabs a set of keys from the wall and unlocks a silver sedan. He opens Hanzo’s door with a little bow. “Your chariot, sir.”

Hanzo laughs quietly, sliding into the car. “I have never been courted quite like this before. You are a gentleman underneath all of that leather and gunpowder.”

“My mama taught me manners now,” Jesse shuts the door and gets into the driver’s side. The silence that falls between is charged with anticipation, anxiousness. “I’m… really glad that we’re gettin’ off the Watchpoint for a little while. I know we kinda jumped the gun doin’-- well, you know, first. But I wanna treat you right, Hanzo. I wanna do right by you.”

Hanzo nods, wringing his hands a little. “I do, as well. I… I haven’t done this since, well. _Since_.”

“I thought as much,” Jesse reaches out to cover Hanzo’s hands with one of his. Hanzo’s always had big hands, nearly as large as McCree’s, but he feels small now. Vulnerable, in a way that he hasn’t been in ten years. It’s exhilarating but also terrifying. “We’re moving at your speed, okay? Just because we did that once doesn’t mean we have to do it again any time soon.”

They park in a public lot near a Starbucks, the morning crowd is quiet as they slip inside. “Can you get us a table, sweetness? Somewhere private.” Hanzo nods, picking a little table in the corner near the window. “Can I have two venti soy chai lattes please? For Jesse and my buddy, Hanzo.” The barista glances over at the corner table and titters.

“Of course, and have a croissant on the house, for your _buddy_ ,” she winks. Jesse tips his hat with a _Thank you kindly_.

Hanzo watches the exchange from the corner of his eye. In the group text chat, he’s getting pictures from the training room of Kasumi doing her exercises with Reinhardt. At the moment, they’re less focused on hardlight shields and more focused on what looks like hand-to-hand combat. Jesse swaggers over with two cups of coffee and a warm croissant, “Is Lu sending pictures?”

“Mm, it’s admittedly a little terrifying seeing a mountain of a man like Reinhardt trying to teach Kasumi combat. She looks like a matchstick compared to him.”

“Aw, ol’ Wilhelm is good with kids. He’s godfather to all of Torb’s kiddos and he used to play dragon and princess-knight with little Brigette all the time,” Jesse laughs. “You don’t need to worry about Kasumi. She’s in good hands.”

“I know, he’s a good man.” Hanzo looks down at the croissant and tears off a little piece. “And Kasumi likes you, as well. Since you’ve been going out in the woods every week she’s grown in confidence as a wolf and as a girl.”

Jesse sips his coffee, “She’s gotten a lot better at hunting, tracking, covering her scent. Kasumi’s a good girl; smart like her daddy. But… as much as I love talkin’ about her, I want to talk about _you_. Us.”

“L-like I mentioned in the car, I haven’t… I haven’t really _dated_ since Yuki died. I spent all my time and energy focused on keeping us alive and providing some semblance of normalcy for Kasumi. And, well, I have never been, ah, with a man. Even as a young man, the clan kept a tight leash on me and, even if I wanted to _experiment_ , I was forbidden from dalliances with the same sex.”

“So are you attracted to men _and_ women?” Hanzo nods, picking apart his croissant with slow, methodical movements.

“I suppose I am bisexual, though I don’t like labels. I know I loved Yuki and I know I like you and am… very attracted to you,” Hanzo’s face is approximately the color of a strawberry.

Jesse reaches across the table to still Hanzo’s hands. “I don’t want this thing between us to be just physical. I mean, I hope I’ve made my feelings plain, but I like you as a person Hanzo. You’re an amazing shot, you’re a good listener and damn near father of the year. You’re sharp as a tack, goddamn when you get goin’ with Winston about space and theoretical physics it blows my mind. You’re thoughtful but not afraid to call out people on their bullshit and the way you’re workin’ on your relationship with Genji is… it shows your character.” Jesse’s mouth snaps shut, fearing he might have said too much and spooked the archer.

However, Hanzo just turns redder, “You flatter me. But I-- I am the same. It is not just physical attraction. You are a good man, Jesse. I want to be good to you, but I- I worry. I am a widower, I have a child, I--”

“I like _you_ ,” McCree interrupts him, taking his hands and giving them a squeeze. “That stuff, it’s important, but it’s not a deterrent. You know I love little Kasumi and I respect what you’ve been through.” Hanzo finally looks up at Jesse with watery eyes.

“Truly?”

“As true as the sky is blue, babydoll.” Jesse takes their empty coffee cups and the ruined croissant to toss in the garbage. “C’mon, there’s a nice park in walking distance. We can get some air and soak up some sunshine.”

The park is a few blocks down the road, there are wide grassy areas where people are playing with kids and dogs and a playset for the younger children. Jesse and Hanzo choose a bench along a paved path to watch the dogs running around excitedly. Hanzo leans into the cowboy’s side, sighing softly as they watch the people going about their day. “I am sorry I have so much baggage.”

“It ain’t a big deal, Han, everyone has some baggage they’re carryin’ around at our ages,” Jesse puts his arm around his shoulders and tucks him closer. “Remember, we’re goin’ at your pace, okay? So if you’re not ready to do somethin’ or you have something that’s gonna trigger bad memories, you can tell me. I want to be there for you.”

Hanzo wipes his eyes, glancing away. “I am… unaccustomed to being cared for like this. I have had to bear it alone for so long.”

“You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

He turns his face into Jesse’s shoulder, remembering. “Yuki once said the same thing, back when I found her again after Genji’s death. She told me I wouldn’t have to bear the pain alone anymore. We would- some nights I would stay awake and drink. Yuki would come into the little kitchen and she’d sit with me and we’d talk… about the past, about the future. We would talk until we were both exhausted and then,” he swallows hard, “then I was alone _again_ , but this time I had a child who needed me to be strong.”

“You’ve been so brave,” Jesse murmurs into the top of Hanzo’s head, “You don’t have to pretend around me. You don’t have to hide it. If you need someone to talk to you at night, you can call me anytime.”

“Thank you, Jesse,” he sighs heavily. Hanzo takes Jesse’s good hand and gives the man a gentle tug. “Come, I have had enough sadness for such a beautiful day.” They lace their fingers together as they walk along the sidewalk, meandering through the city. Hanzo talks about growing up in a historical city, how carefully the planners had to mix current technology with ancient architecture and traditional aesthetics; Jesse tells Hanzo about Santa Fe, the beauty in the stillness of the desert and all of its hidden life.

They trade stories of their travels throughout the years, favorite foods, most challenging assignments. Hanzo ducks into a bookstore with Jesse’s hand clasped in his and they good-naturedly argue about which romance authors are the best.

“Seymour Fleisch is far superior to Chastity Morningblush,” Jesse selects a novel from the stacks. “Their portrayal of lycans as huge family units is way more true to life than that alpha-omega bull.”

“Chastity Morningblush deals exclusively in fantasy, the whole _point_ is to escape into a world that’s unlike your own. Slice of life fiction just doesn’t have the same appeal.”

“Maybe so, but Fleisch is good about givin’ their characters happy endings. I love their series about a big, Jewish lycan pack.”

“Do you read only books about lycans?”

“Nah, P. Seale has a great one about intergalactic selkies.” Jesse delights in Hanzo’s confused expression. “They’re were-seals. But instead of bein’ from the ocean, they’re from space.”

“And Westerns?” he grins as he peruses the section of cowboy-fiction with shirtless men in wranglers on nearly every cover.  

“Hey now, I’ll have you know that there’s gold in them there shelves.” Both men burst out laughing.

“Yuki wasn’t as much of a fan of romance novels. She actually preferred travelogues and historical fiction. She once said that tales of the past made her think of her own childhood; they didn’t have a lot of money for modern conveniences and so they drove a car with actual rubber tires that ran on a converted solar engine and grew their own vegetables. It was like she grew up in a totally different era.” Hanzo’s gaze goes distant. “The homestead was eventually upgraded, but it took a long time.”

“The car had _tires_ ? Jesus did it have a computer system?” Jesse sounds scandalized by the very idea. “Hell, _we_ were poor but we still had a hover-truck with a nav system and autopilot.”

“No, it was… it was the most basic a car could be. Music, AC and heat.”

“ _Lord_ . At least it didn’t run on gasoline, could you imagine? Oh! Hey, check it out!” Jesse pulls Hanzo over to the Classics display where there is a beautiful, hardcover copy of _Le Petit Prince_ with gold page edges. “Ah, here’s an English version. D’you think Kasumi would like this?” He flips open the book.

“She does seem to enjoy the translation,” Hanzo muses. “And it _is_ a classic piece of literature.”

“I showed the grown ups my masterpiece, and I asked them if my drawing scared them. They answered: why be scared of a hat? My drawing was not a picture of a hat. It was a picture of a boa constrictor digesting an elephant,” Jesse reads aloud, chuckling at the picture. “I gotta say, this Saint-Exupery fella and I have about the same level of artistic skills. Aw, I’m gettin’ it for her. Look, it’s all in color, too.”

Jesse buys the book and Hanzo buys the newest Chastity Morningblush title: _Accidentally Daisies_ . There is some playful ribbing now that Jesse knows Hanzo is a romance connoisseur but Hanzo just takes it in stride. He has his preferences, and he’d like to remind Jesse that at least _his_ novels do not feature half-nude men on the covers.

“Yeah, yeah, you got me there,” but he can’t be mad when Hanzo reaches for his hand again.

 

\--

 

“I can’t accept it,” Lena is red-eyed as she dabs her face with a tissue. “I just _can’t_.” Winston rubs her back with one big paw.

“I know this is hard for you, Lena, but we all saw him. We _spoke_ to him,” Angela places a hand comfortingly on her arm. “We know where he’s going and we have an idea of who he’s going to meet, so we can keep an eye on his movements.”

Jesse chews on his cigar, mood significantly soured since his date was forced to end because of this meeting. “He’s a tough son of a bitch--” Lena shoots him a sharp look “What? Literally, his mom was a lycan. Anyway, he’s tough, he survived the explosion and all the SEP shit, he can obviously take care of himself. We gave him a comm so if he _does_ end up needing us he can send a distress signal.”

“I just wish I knew _why_. I mean-- I know you’ve told us what he said, but that just doesn’t sound like the Jack Morrison I knew.” Lena blows her nose,

“But did you really know him?” Genji asks delicately. “I mean, the people closest to him said he was stressed by the leadership role and by the shadow of Blackwatch. He was cracking under the pressure-”

“He was a _great_ _leader_ ,” she slams a fist down. “Jack and I were close, he said I was like his little sister. He wouldn’t have hidden something like wanting to leave Overwatch from me.”

“Are you so sure?” Genji presses, “Hanzo is my _actual_ brother, and we had many secrets. There were things he would not tell me _because_ I am his brother. Perhaps Jack knew how much you looked up to him and kept the truth from you to protect your relationship?”  

Lena stands up and paces a little, “I-- I don’t know. I wish Ana was here, hell, I wish Reyes was here. I’m sorry, mates, I just don’t know how to process this. Jack being our… maybe not our enemy but a possible adversary just doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Perhaps not, but it’s the reality of the situation,” Winston adjusts himself on his tires as he updates the 76 file. “We’ll definitely keep track of his movements, Athena can monitor his comm and see where he is… or at least where the comm is.”

“It is all we can do,” Angela takes a sip from her coffee cup. “Well, it is all we can do and respect his wishes.”

“I just hope he’s aware that there are people out here who still love him,” Lena wrings her hands. “That we wouldn’t have turned him away.”

“I am sure he does,” Genji stands to pull her into a hug, “He is just a stubborn old bastard. I’m sure he will contact us when he is ready.” Angela and Winston join in on the hug, allowing Jesse to sneak out unnoticed.

He meets up with Hanzo in the gym where Kasumi is watching him go against a punching bag. “Jesse-jichan,” she waves at him and motions for him to come over. “How was your meeting? Is Lena-neechan okay?”

“She’s gonna be okay, but since when am I jichan?” Jesse feels warm with the change in honorific.

“I asked Daddy if I could call you that, since you’re such _good_ friends.” Kasumi grins slyly up at him, as if she knows more than she should. “You spent all morning together, and you’ve been sighing at each other for, like, weeks now.”

Hanzo nearly stumbles with his kick, “Kasumi!”

“What! You do! It’s so _obvious_ how you two make eyes at each other when you think nobody can see. Jesse-jichan has tamed you, Daddy. Just like the prince and his rose. After my hunts you two stay out and talk for _ages_ , standing all close to each other and stuff.”

Jesse just laughs, “I guess we’ve been found out, sugar.” Hanzo is red-faced and not just from his workout. He walks over to his terrible child and his cowboy, kneeling to her level with a serious expression only slightly marred by the color in his cheeks.

“Jesse and I are close, yes, and we are… we have decided to pursue a relationship but it is private. I don’t want you to gossip about it,” his voice is low, just for Kasumi. “I really like Jesse, and we want to tell the others in our own time. We have decided to go slow.”

Kasumi nods, “I won’t tell anyone.” Her face turns mischievous, “Was today your first date?”

Hanzo splutters a little, “That is-- we-- I mean--” Jesse watches with amusement as the archer fumbles for a moment. “Yes. I suppose you can call it that.”

She sighs, “It’s so _cute_. I’m happy for you, Daddy.”


	13. -thirteen-

_ “Catastrophe.” _

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

 

“So what’s on the agenda for the rest of the day, darlin’?” Jesse calls from the bedroom to Hanzo in the shower. He, Kasumi and Jesse had retired to the archer’s bedroom after Hanzo’s workout to have a little privacy. Or, as much privacy as they could get with a nine year old who is deeply invested in her father’s new relationship. “Since our lovely date was interrupted by that meeting.” 

“I have to speak with Zenyatta and Genji about something,” Hanzo exits the steamy bathroom in a loosely tied yukata. “Kasumi has been having dreams similar to ones when my dragons were awakening, I’d like their insight.” 

Jesse fights valiantly to keep his eyes above the shoulders. There is a child present, after all. “I thought you mentioned that you and Genji got your dragons very young?”

“Mm, when I was seven and Genji, three. I don’t know if it is a dragon spirit though, or some other guardian. I don’t have access to the Shimada family servers anymore to research if in the past there have been more than just dragons tied to our line.” 

“I think it’s a wolf,” Kasumi says from her perch on the bed. She’s already showered and changed into soft leggings and a long tee shirt. “In my dreams, it  _ howls _ .” 

“A wolf spirit to watch over a wolf girl, makes sense,” Jesse rubs his beard thoughtfully. “I don’t know much about my Deadeye, except that it’s supernatural, but I don’t think my opinions would be too useful to you. But maybe we can have lunch before y’all go and tackle this?” 

“Lunch sounds wonderful,” Hanzo fixes his yukata and flips his hair over to one side. “I’m famished and I know Kasumi hasn’t had anything more than a snack since breakfast.” 

They’re not the only ones hungry, the kitchen is full with Reinhardt, Torbjorn, Angela, Genji, Zenyatta, Hana and Lucio. WInston and Lena are noticeably absent, but Jesse is sure that the younger woman is in need of comfort from her close friend after their emotional meeting. Sandwiches have been made in bulk and are under paper towels on the counter. 

“Ah, Kasumi, how are you feeling? We trained hard this morning and you did very well,” Reinhardt booms from his seat between Torbjorn and Angela. 

“A little sore,” she gets a plate and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a new favorite since Jesse introduced her to the flavor combination. “I did my stretches and took a warm shower.”

“Good, you shouldn’t get too stiff then,” Angela smiles over her coffee cup. “Jesse don’t make that face, tomatoes are good for you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” the cowboy plops down beside Genji and picks the tomatoes from his sandwich. “But they’re slimy and nasty tasting. I shoulda picked up a PB&J.”

“They contain antioxidants, vitamin C and K,” Angela retorts as she steals the tomato slice from the side of his plate. “And they’re full of good sugars and fiber.”

“Good sugars like what’s in your coffee?” Hana teases. 

“Oh there’s no sugar in there,” Genji laughs. “Angela takes her coffee black and very strong. I think I am the only one who can drink it aside from her.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” Hana reaches for the coffee cup, “Let me try a sip. Promise I don’t have herpes.

Angela hands over the prescription bottle shaped mug with a smirk. “Even if you did, we have a cure for that now.” Hana shrugs, takes a healthy sip, then shoves the cup back as she coughs and gags. 

“It’s like drinking caffeinated tar! Yuck!” she downs about half of her tea (iced, made in the traditional preparation of the Southern United States by Jesse) in one gulp. “How can you stand it?”

The doctor shrugs one shoulder, “I have been drinking it this way since medical school. It keeps me awake to do my research.” Lucio pats Hana’s back as she tries to get the taste out of her mouth. 

“It doesn’t surprise me; when I was in nursing school, there were people who would take their coffee with like, five shots of espresso or drink a full 16 ounces of Colombian style coffee,” Lucio shudders at the memory. “I’m amazed nobody had a heart attack from the caffeine content.” 

Zenyatta sighs from his spot hovering at the head of the table. “I often wish I could experience taste. Your food and drink all sounds so  _ interesting _ .” 

“During our travels, Master would often buy food or drink just for me to taste it and describe it to him. I have had a lot of… interesting culinary experiences because of it,” Genji chuckles. “I drew the line at durian, though. I could not get past the smell.”

“Isn’t that the fruit that smells like rotten meat?” Torbjorn looks disgusted by the very idea of it. “Why on earth would ya make him try that?”

“There are some who say the fruit is very sweet and mild,” Zenyatta claps his hands together, “and the shape is very pleasing. It is called the King of Fruits.”

“And it is also banned from public transportation,” Hanzo explains. “Because the smell is so terrible. It’s worse than epoisses cheese in France.” That makes Torbjorn, Angela and Reinhardt visibly shiver. “Which, if I recall correctly, is  _ also _ banned from the Tube.” 

“What is epoisses cheese?” Kasumi frowns around her sandwich. 

“It’s a type of soft cheese known for its repellent odor,” Angela makes a face. “I also could not get past the smell to try it, even though people say it is very good.” 

“As much as I love talk about delicacies from around the world, y’all are turnin’ my stomach,” Jesse groans. “Zen, why not get the upgrades to enjoy beverages, at least?” 

“Ah, they’re quite expensive and require an invasive procedure to install. Besides, I much prefer seeing Genji’s expressions when he tries something new and living vicariously through him.” Zenyatta’s orbs chime in a cheerful little melody. 

“After you’re done eating, would you and your Master be amenable to meeting Kasumi and I out in the training yard on the grass?” Hanzo asks Genji as he picks up his and Kasumi’s plates. “Or perhaps up in the garden? Somewhere outside at the very least.” 

“The garden sounds delightful,” Genji hastily finishes his sandwich. “And we can go now, if you like.”

Hanzo nods, “Jesse, would you like to shoot together tonight? At range two at around 1900?”

“It would be my pleasure,” the cowboy tips his hat. “It’s been a while since we had a friendly competition.” Hanzo’s lips quirk up into a fond smile. 

“I will see you then.”

 

\--

 

Kasumi sits seiza with her father, uncle and Zenyatta in a loose circle up in the rooftop garden under the shade of a tall umbrella planted in the ground. Ever since her incident in town, Genji-jichan has been careful to keep her out of direct sun for too long. She even has a thermos of the sweet, iced tea that Jesse-jichan made in case she starts to get warm. 

“How long have you been having these dreams?” Zenyatta asks after she has described them. 

“Not long, since daddy left on his mission with Jesse-jichan and Angela-neesan,” she picks at the grass, wondering what the big deal is. If she has a guardian spirit, isn’t that good news? After all, her father and uncle both have their own spirits that guide and protect them. 

“I wish I remembered when my dragon awakened,” Genji fiddles with his helmet in his lap. “I was so young, the memories have faded away. But it does sound like what you have told me of your dragons, anija.” 

“Kasumi is almost a teenager, though, if she had a dragon surely it would have manifested before now, as it has with all Shimadas who bore them in the past,” Hanzo’s face is set in a deep frown. “I wish I had access to the Family genealogy database. I have never heard of a dragon awakening this late, nor of a wolf spirit.”

“Perhaps it is an Okami or a Raiju?” Zenyatta suggests. “As far as I am aware, both of your dragons are ones related to storms, correct?”

“Yes, the North and South winds,” Hanzo nods. “A Raiju would make more sense, as it can take the form of a wolf, among other things.” 

“What does it  _ matter _ what it is?” Kasumi grouses. 

“It matters because a guardian spirit is more than just a passive protector. I am sure you have seen your father summon his dragons?” she nods, and Genji continues, “My own dragon can ride my sword. If you have a spirit, you may have similar abilities that need to be controlled. It takes a lot of discipline to control something Not of This World and we need to know what to expect so we can begin your training. The last thing we want is for this to manifest and for you to accidentally hurt yourself or someone else.” 

“In my heart, I feel that it’s a wolf, an okami. It’s voice resonates with me and in my dreams, I’m always in my fur when it calls.” She closes her eyes and tries to find that feeling again, that hidden power under her skin. “And I feel… energy in my left arm.”

“Perhaps we can try and reach the spirit through meditation or hypnosis?” Zenyatta suggests. “Genji has said that in order to communicate with his dragon he must be spiritually in tune with it.” 

“That… might work. I used to meditate in order to receive guidance from my dragons, Perhaps Kasumi can reveal the identity of her spirit. And we will be here in case anything unexpected happens.”

Zenyatta flicks an orb over to Kasumi. “If you will allow me, I can place you in a twilight sleep so we can contact your spirit guardian. It will be completely painless and you will have the ability to stop if at any point is becomes frightening or uncomfortable.” 

The girl nods once, a sharp jerk of her chin. 

“Okay.” Zenyatta’s voice takes on a deep, resonant tone as he begins: “First, you must relax. Listen to the sound of my voice,  Notice your breathing. When you breathe in, your entire chest and abdomen will expand outward. As you exhale, your sides, chest, and stomach move inward. Focus on breathing slowly and on completely emptying the lungs with each breath. As you breathe slowly like this your heart rate will begin to slow down, your mind will clear, and you will begin to relax.” 

Kasumi closes her eyes and listens to Zenyatta’s soft, modulated voice, the chimes from his orbs. She breathes deeply from the belly like her father taught her, feeling her body begin to relax.

“Let's practice. Breathe in, deeply.... pause for a moment... and now exhale fully. Breathe in.... and out. In... out. Keep breathing slowly and calmly. Now, relax the areas in your body where tension tends to build.

The neck and shoulders are a common area where tension builds up. You can relax your shoulders by lowering them slightly. If you are not sure if your shoulders are more relaxed, raise them up toward your ears, and hold this position. Hold the tension... and then relax, lowering your shoulders.” Kasumi repeats the exercise a few times, her shoulders relaxing more and more each time she lets go of the tension. 

Zenyatta continues, keeping his voice even and soft. “Tip your head forward, bringing your chin toward your chest. Let your head hang loosely, without any pressure or effort at all. Just allow your head to hang forward, and feel the muscles on the back of your neck lengthening. Muscles in a shortened position are tense, while muscles in a lengthened position are relaxed. Let the muscles of your neck lengthen, and then gently raise your head back to a neutral position. Lower your shoulders again, and feel how the neck and shoulder area is more relaxed.” 

They continue the meditation for all of the major muscle groups until Kasumi is breathing slowly and evenly, as if in sleep, and her body is loose and relaxed. Her eyelids are at half mast as she focuses on the orb in front of her and the soothing melody of the omnic’s voice. 

“Now we are going to begin the process of finding your spirit guide. I want you to close your eyes and go back to the snowy battlefield. Tell me what you see.”

Kasumi exhales as she shuts her eyes, “I see… snow. It goes on for miles and miles, there are no trees… nothing but the snow and the bodies frozen on the ground.”

“What do you feel? Is it cold where you are?”

“No… no there’s something burning inside of me. I don’t feel the cold, even though I know it is. I hear… howling. It’s far away, it wants me to come to it.” Her voice is soft, almost monotone in her hypnotic state. 

“Can you will the creature to come to you?” Zenyatta presses gently. “Try to call it to where you are.” 

Kasumi tries, projecting her own howl into the wintry air.  _ Come to me, I want to meet you.  _ She feels the light inside her glow brighter, hotter, as she cries out for her guardian. 

In the garden, Hanzo and Genji gasp as Kasumi’s body begins to change. Golden stripes appear on her cheekbones like brush strokes and along her left arm concentric circles radiate from her elbow up her bicep and down her forearm in the same glimmering gold. Her eyes flutter and they can see that her irises are glowing softly through the thin skin of her eyelids. It is startling, but they allow Zenyatta to continue. 

“Pull the energy towards you, you are in control of this. You are the master of this spirit.” The girl tips her head back and it’s as if someone is pouring bleach over her head as her hair turns white. “Control it, Kasumi.” 

She  _ tries _ , but something inside of her bucks at the idea of being leashed and she cries out as it fights her.  _ No, this is my body,  _ **_you_ ** _ are tethered to  _ **_my_ ** _ soul and  _ **_I_ ** _ am in charge, _ she thinks viciously. The creature materializes in front of her in the snow: a white wolf surrounded by golden energy. 

The winter wind stops her breathing as the wolf replies,  _ I of the Storm. You are  _ **_my_ ** _ vessel.  _ She feels it burning, she fears this immense power.  _ Shimada Kasumi, Mamiya Kasumi, I have watched over this body since it was born. You have proven yourself worthy to inherit my power. _

Kasumi trembles like a leaf and Hanzo wraps his arms around her. “Zenyatta, what is happening?”

“I don’t know,” Zenyatta pulls his orb back, “Come back to us, Kasumi.  _ Kasumi!”  _

She is burning up, the power is too much, she’s feels like she’s going to  _ die-- _ and then it’s over. Kasumi gasps as her breath comes back to her and the wolf dissipates into particles of sunlight. “Daddy…” she looks up at her father as the glow recedes from her eyes and they return to their normal amber color. 

The girl passes out in her father’s arms as he calls her name.

\--

Angela and Lucio stare dumbfounded at the child in Hanzo’s arms as he, Genji and Zenyatta burst through the doors in the medbay. Kasumi’s hair is white and she has odd golden marks on her arm and face that were definitely  _ not _ there just a few hours ago. “What on Earth is going on? What  _ happened _ ?” Angela takes down the railing on one of the beds so Hanzo can put the girl down. 

“We were trying to get her spirit guardian to reveal itself in a controlled setting,” Zenyatta has an Orb of Harmony hovering over Kasumi. “Then things went awry. She began radiating a massive amount of energy and her body began to change-”

“She _stopped_ _breathing_ ,” Hanzo is frantic, “She started to shake and then she was gasping and passed out in my arms.”

Lucio starts and IV as Angela begins a physical exam. She lifts Kasumi’s eyelids to check her pupils with a pen light, frowning slightly. Hanzo and Genji are shooed away so the doctor can listen to her heart and lungs with her stethoscope and Lucio can get a fluid bag hung. “Her vitals are normal but I think we should do a CT scan, just to be safe, as well as a few basic blood tests. We’ll administer some fluids and IV biotics and monitor her overnight.” 

“A CT scan?” Genji grasps his brother’s hand. “Could she have brain damage?”

“It’s just a precaution because she lost consciousness,” Lucio explains. Hanzo nods and watches as the two medics wheel his little girl away. He shakily lowers himself into a chair and drops his head into his hands.

“What have we  _ done _ ?”

“We couldn’t have predicted that this would happen,” Genji kneels beside his brother. “And now she is in the best care in the world. Angela and Lucio will make sure that she’s okay.” Hanzo nods miserably. 

The automatic doors open a tense thirty minutes later with Lucio wheeling Kasumi back over to her father and uncle. Zenyatta drifts over to Angela to look over her datapad at the results. “The good news is that she hasn’t suffered any brain damage, everything looks completely normal. I believe that Kasumi suffered a vasovagal response to the extreme stimulus of her… spirit guardian awakening.”

“What is that? Is it dangerous?” Hanzo takes Kasumi’s hand, squeezing it. 

“Not at all. It’s simply the body overreacting to certain triggers- it’s like someone fainting at the sight of blood or because of intense emotions,” Angela tucks her datapad under her arm. “As for why she’s still out, everything points to exhaustion from the ordeal. I still want her to stay overnight but otherwise she’s physically perfectly healthy.”

“And her hair?” Genji reaches out to push the white strands back from his niece’s face. “The marks?”

“You would know better than any of us,” Lucio says as he hangs an IV bag of biotics. “I’m afraid our training didn’t include the supernatural. Did your bodies change after you got your dragons?”

“Not as… dramatically,” Hanzo lifts her arm to look at the markings. “When they first appeared on our skin it was simply the dragon and, when we were sixteen and able to endure the traditional tattooing session, the clouds and lightning were added around them to accentuate their glorious forms.”

Genji rakes his hands through his hair. “Fuyu-obaasama said mother’s eyes changed when her dragon awakened and Ryuichi-ojisama claimed that his hair turned white from fright at meeting his guardian.” 

“Ryuichi-ojisama was also a known exaggerator,” Hanzo mutters. The marks on Kasumi’s arm and face are hot to the touch and pink around the edges. It reminds Hanzo of when he got his brand and the skin was burning and red for hours later. 

“Regardless,” Angela’s voice is firm, “She has obviously been through enough excitement for one day and needs her rest. I will set up a bed for Hanzo to stay in, because he is her father, but I think the rest of you should leave for a few hours so she can sleep.” Genji opens his mouth to argue but Angela’s glare silences his protest. 

\--

A deep voice resonates down the hallway singing a familiar song. Genji would recognize that singing and guitar accompaniment anywhere, he’d heard it often enough in Blackwatch. He follows Jesse’s voice down the hall, outside to a walkway where the man in question is strumming a beat up guitar and singing:  _ Heading down south to the land of the pines, I'm thumbing my way into North Carolina. Staring up the road and pray to God I see headlights. I made it down the coast in seventeen hours picking me a bouquet of dogwood flowers and I'm a-hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my baby tonight…  _

“You’re in a good mood,” the cyborg observes. “Do you know another song? You played that one to death when we were in Blackwatch.” 

“Wagon Wheel is a classic, you heathen,” Jesse places his hand on the strings to still them. “ _ Swing me down Ol’ Carolina, Swing me back Virginia. Swing the girl who takes you home, then swing the girl that brings ya. _ ” His voice is smooth like honey as he sings and plays, swaying a little in his chair in time with the music. Genji sits on the floor beside the cowboy and listens for a while, eyes shut and head pressed back against the wall. “ _ I can’t promise it’s a blessing, but I swear it’s not a curse to love to love so much it must just make a heart to burst. Like a dandelion sneeze, or like a cloud that’s raining thirst; there’s a love that swings around us spreading seeds upon the earth.”  _

“Something… happened with Kasumi,” Genji says once the song ends. 

“What? Is she okay?” Jesse looks down at his friend with worry in his moonlight eyes. “I’m guessin’ Han is with her?”

“Yes,” he breathes. “We were trying to force her spirit guardian to show itself and… and she reacted badly. Or the spirit did. She collapsed in the middle, even Zenyatta couldn’t bring her back. Her body changed- her hair is  _ white _ now, like it was bleached. But she hasn’t woken up at all. I am afraid. What if we did permanent damage to her? What if she  _ never  _ wakes up?” Genji sobs and curls in on himself. “Hanzo would never forgive himself if she got hurt.”

“Genji,” McCree kneels down beside his friend and pulls him into his arms. “C’mere, hey, it’s gonna be okay. She’s probably still out because meetin’ her spirit guardian and her body changin’ and probably gainin’ a bunch of mysterious power is a big ordeal.” The cyborg snuffles as he turns to hug the cowboy. A big hand rubs his back in soothing circles as he lets out the stress and fear. “Kasumi’s a tough cookie, she’ll be just fine. C’mon, let’s head down to the range and we can having a throwin’ contest.” 

He steals Jesse’s serape as they stand and wraps it tightly around his shoulders. “Lawn darts versus shuriken?”

“Gimme a fightin’ chance, sug,” he claps Genji on the shoulder. “No more cryin’, let’s go work out some energy.” 

They run into Hana at the range practicing with her little pistol. “Ibwa yo! What are you guys up to?” 

“We are going to have a friendly throwing competition,” Genji goes to the console to reset the range for shuriken and other throwing projectiles. “Do you want to join us? Jesse will be using lawn darts.” 

“What’s a lawn dart?” Hana follows the cowboy to the armory wall. There’s a lockbox on the floor that she’s never seen opened until now, filled with what look like oversized darts with sharp metal tips. “Those look dangerous.”

“These used to be sold as toys back in the day but were banned because too many people got injuries from ‘em. We got these ages ago to play with out in the lawn. Then Reyes got the idea to use ‘em as throwin’ practice for lethal projectiles.” Jesse looks over the wickedly pointed tips. “We also have stilettos, shuriken, throwing knives, hairpins and axes.” Hana’s eyes sparkle at the idea of a lethal hairpin. 

“Hairpins, duh. I’ll be like a sexy lady assassin,” she fishes out a pack of them bound with a rubber band. “Did Blackwatch do honeypot missions?”

Genji laughs from the throwing line, “Yes, but Jesse was not on them. He didn’t have the sex appeal.” 

“Hush you, I had plenty of sex appeal,” Jesse puts his hands on his hips. “I just wasn’t some cute lil twink that people would underestimate.” 

“Oh yes you were,” Genji says gleefully, “You just had all the subtlety of a brick to the face.” 

“I can’t picture you as anything but a cowboy,” Hana admits. She lines up beside Genji. “I bet you were born with a full beard and a gun.” McCree chortles at that with a shake of his head.

“Honey, I  _ wish _ . I bulked up once Blackwatch picked me up; turns out a growing boy has the same nutritional requirements as a SEP soldier,” Jesse takes aim at a bot and lets loose his dart, burying the thing in its chest. “I grew fast and filled out pretty quick.” 

Hana hurls her hairstick at the bots but ends up bouncing it off of the floor. “Aw, man! That wasn’t supposed to happen!”

“It’s much harder than it appears,” Genji, the showoff, throws three shuriken into the face of the last bot. “Ha! Beat  _ that _ , McCree!”

Jesse throws three in succession hitting the bot in each eye and then where a nose would be. “Think I can give him a smiley face?” 

“You two are totally cheating, this is really difficult,” Hana cries as her pin hits the bot’s chest and plinks off onto the floor. “Lemme use a dart,” she holds out her hand for a lawn dart. 

“You need more force behind your throws,” Jesse tries as Hana throws the dart hard. It barely sticks into the carapace of the training bot and then falls out. “You gotta remember, Genji was built to be superhumanly strong and I’ve been doing this for  _ years _ .” 

“ _ Excuse _ you, I could do this even before I got the cybernetics. I just couldn’t store my ammo in my arm.”

Hana lets Jesse reposition her stance and guide her through a couple of throws. “This feels awkward.” 

“It’s gonna feel weird until you get it down to muscle memory,” Genji throws his shuriken into the shape of a star. Hana tries a throw on her own and squeals with delight as the hairpin embeds into the stomach of the training bot. 

\--

Zenyatta finds himself up in the garden, the scene of the crime if he’s being dramatic. He floats over to a secluded spot overlooking the water. Logically, he knows that this outcome was impossible to predict, but he can’t help the guilt he feels for Kasumi’s condition. If he had not been so arrogant as to assume he could control a spirit as ancient and powerful as the one that resided in the small girl’s soul, she might not be in- essentially- a coma right now. Her father and uncle would not be distraught and Kasumi would be getting ready for her weekly romp in the woods with McCree. 

He bows his head as he tries to pull himself from the tepid hole that is guilt. It isn’t a productive emotion, wallowing won’t help Kasumi or undo what was done. He is so deep in his own head that he doesn’t notice that someone is calling his name until the person is right there in his space. “Earth to spaceship Zen, do you copy?” Lucio sits on the grass beside the omnic. “ _ Zenyatta _ .” 

“Oh, my apologies,” he turns towards the audio-medic and bows his head. “I was deep in thought and did not hear you. Did you need something?”

“Just wanted to check on you. You were really quiet in the medbay and you left pretty quickly, even with the threat of Angela’s wrath.” 

“Ah,” he lowers himself to the ground. “I must admit to a feeling of… responsibility for Kasumi’s condition. It was I who put her under hypnosis and urged her to contact her guardian.”

“Did you know that was gonna happen?” Lucio tips his head to one side. 

“Of course not. I had only thought to hasten the awakening process to spare her the nightmares that have been plaguing her. If I had known it’d overwhelm her I would have never pushed her.”

“Then it was an accident,” the other man nods. “Therefore, you don’t need to sit up here and punish yourself over something that you couldn’t predict.”

“I am not  _ punishing-- _ ” Lucio arches one dark eyebrow. Zenyatta relents. “I do not know how to atone for my mistake.”

“I don’t think you  _ need  _ to atone. Kasumi is safely and comfortably asleep in the medbay, she has no brain damage or injuries from what happened, she’s  _ fine _ . Nobody blames you for this,” Lucio pats Zenyatta’s forearm. “So relax, man. Angela and Hanzo are taking good care of her. Now come on, I need to work on the soundtrack for my new therapeutic album and you seem like someone who could use some soothing melodies.”

\--

Consciousness comes to her in bits and pieces. The first thing Kasumi notices is that she feels surprisingly good, considering her last memory is of being consumed by the Okami’s power. There are no aches or pains, though her limbs feel heavy and loose. Someone is holding her hand, but there’s something in her nose preventing her from smelling who it is. Her eyelids are heavy as she squints her eyes open. 

At first all she can make out is bright light until a familiar voice says, “Athena, please lower the lights to 40%.” Kasumi sighs with relief as the medbay lights dim and she can see her father sitting beside her on the bed. He reaches out to stroke her hair out of her face. “Hey, how are you feeling, Mimichan?” 

Uhoh, Daddy hasn’t called her  _ that _ since she was little. “I feel okay. What happened?” Her father pulls her into a crushing hug. 

“I was so worried. You lost consciousness, you’ve been asleep for hours.” His voice trembles as he holds her tightly. “I feared the worst.”

Kasumi pats her father’s back awkwardly; her arms are trapped against her sides so she can’t exactly return the hug. “Daijōbudesu, daijōbudesu.” 


	14. -fourteen-

_“For me, wheat is no use whatever. Wheat fields say nothing to me. Which is sad. But you have hair the color of gold. So it will be wonderful, once you've tamed me! The wheat, which is golden, will remind me of you. And I'll love the sound of the wind in the wheat...”_

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

 

“Well look who’s up and about?” Jesse strolls into the medbay with Genji and Hana at his side. It’s nearly 1900 and he’d come to check on Kasumi and Hanzo. He has the book he bought her wrapped in bunny paper (from Hana) tucked behind his back as a surprise. Jesse is glad for his poker face because Genji hadn’t been lying about the dramatic change. Her short hair is white like snow, not to mention the odd gold marks on her face and down her arm. “How are you feelin’ princess?”

Kasumi is sitting up in bed eating her dinner with little enthusiasm. Steamed vegetables and brown rice aren’t the most exciting fares but he’d bet his last dollar that Angela is behind the health food. “I’m feeling good. Angela-neesan said my blood is normal but I still have to stay here tonight. Please tell me you have my game?”

Hana produces a pink handheld game system from her hoodie pocket. “Voila! Your uncle mentioned that you had this old thing. How on earth did you find a DS from the _twenties_?”

“Yes!” she cries, catching the game as Hana gently tosses it over. “Daddy found it at a pawn store last time we were in the United States and it had all these retro games loaded on it-- the old Pokemons, Animal Crossing and a bunch of Ace Attorney games. It was kind of hard because it was all in English but now I’m way better at reading it.”

“I also got’cha a lil’ something,” Jesse hands over the book .He notices that she has a little bandaid on her golden inner elbow from where her IV had been. “In case you get sick of playin’ games.” Kasumi is careful not to tear it as she opens the paper, gasping as she opens it to reveal the special edition Little Prince.

“Dōmo arigatōgozaimasu!” She leaps up to throw her arms around Jesse’s midsection; she’s surprisingly strong considering her size.

“Do you want to keep our range appointment, darlin’?” Jesse asks of her father, sitting on the edge of the bed and watching his daughter with a soft expression on his face. Hanzo opens his mouth, probably to cancel, but Genji beats him to it.

“Go ahead, anija, I’ll stay here with Kasumi. I brought her tablet so we can catch up on her homework.” Kasumi makes a sour face, obviously she’d been hoping that they’d forget about her classes while she was laid up.

“...I suppose an hour won’t hurt,” Hanzo relents. “When I get back those vegetables better be in your stomach, young lady.” Jesse tries not to laugh at how cute Hanzo is when he wags a finger at his child.

Hana has made herself comfortable on Hanzo’s temporary bed and produced two thermoses from somewhere in her voluminous hoodie. “Go on your shooting date, it’ll be fine.” She makes a shooing motion towards the door.

Hanzo reaches for Jesse’s hand once they’re in the hallway. “So we’re keepin’ this thing on the down low?” The cowboy gives Hanzo’s hand a little squeeze.

“I have always been a private person,” Hanzo keeps his voice low. “When… I was with the Shimada-gumi, relationships were always under the scrutiny of the Family so I never… not until Yuki.”

“And then your family made you end it,” Jesse finishes. “I understand if you wanna keep it between us but you don’t have to do it because you _have_ _to_ anymore. And, for the record, I’m an affectionate guy, you’re gonna have to tell me what your boundaries are in public. Like… holding hands, is that okay?”

Hanzo looks down at their joined hands, “It’s okay.”

Jesse bumps their shoulders together, grinning, “Just okay? Y’know it’s been a minute since I last held hands with such a handsome fella.”

“Hush you,” the archer can’t stop the smile that blooms over his face, “Flatterer.”

“It’s not flattery if it’s _true_ , sweetpea. Lessee… what about kissing?” he leans down to nuzzle against Hanzo’s shaved temple. “Can I kiss you in front of people?”

Hanzo allows himself to be manhandled into a secluded corner and tips his head back for a soft kiss. He wraps his arms around Jesse’s waist and gives him a little squeeze. “I suppose I can allow a few kisses in front of the other agents.” He tips his head up for another sweet kiss. “But no tongue, not in front of other people.” Jesse kisses him again, like he can’t help it, sliding his tongue into Hanzo’s mouth. The archer sighs into the kiss and pulls his cowboy in by the hips.

“I can do no tongue in front of the other agents,” Jesse smiles against Hanzo’s lips. “I can also beat the pants off you in the range tonight.”

That earns him a push and a laugh, “You _wish_ , cowboy. Let me get my gear and we shall see who beats the pants off of whom.”

“Emphasis on pants off?” Jesse waggles his eyebrows suggestively; Hanzo rolls his eyes and gives Jesse’s ear a hug. “Okay, okay go get your gear and I’ll meet you in Range 2.” He steals one more kiss before Hanzo can trot off down the hall towards the dorms.

 

\--

 

Range 2 is a slightly smaller than the main training range with traditional stalls set up and paper targets. Jesse likes the nostalgic feel of it and there’s something undeniably satisfying about being able to pin up his best shots on the Wall of Fame on the South wall behind the stalls. His current favorite is the smiley face in center mass, although the single headshot that six bullets went through is a close second. Jesse starts sifting through the targets-- they have the traditional body silouhette, a bullseye, a variety of old omnic models - mostly ORI5As and Bastions - a human silouhette with an apple on its head, as well as various animals for the hunting inclined. He picks out two ORI5A targets for them to start with and sets them up.

He’s idly loading Peacekeeper when Hanzo walks in. He’s still in that soft, grey yukata but has his bow and arrows slung across his back. Jesse allows his eyes to wander down his body: the way the collar of the garment shows off the hollow of his throat and teases at his collarbone, how its tied just below the stomach, the way his prosthetics taper down to delicate ankles and little rabbit’s feet. Hanzo laughs, a rich, low sound, putting his hands on his hips. “Are you going to ogle all evening or are we going to shoot, vaquero?”

“Ohh someone’s been takin’ Spanish lessons,” his eyes wander back up to the archer’s chiseled face. “When did you learn that one?”

“About five minutes ago,” Hanzo admits. “I’m glad I pronounced it correctly. I looked it up on my way down here.”

“You did good,” Jesse straightens up, twirling Peacekeeper. “A lot better’n my Japanese that’s for sure.”

“You know Japanese?” Hanzo arches a brow.

 _“Bīru o mō ichi-pon nomemasu ka.”_ That makes Hanzo laugh out loud.

“Of course you’d know that phrase. A better one is _uisukī o onegaishimasu_ or _o sake o onegaishimasu,”_ the archer looses an arrow at the paper target, tearing a hole through the center of the head. “ _Bīru_ , please.”

“Oo-ee-soo-key,” Jesse tries the word out before firing off three shots- headshot and two in the target’s gun arm. “I didn’t get to sample much more than beer when I was last in Japan but I did have some of the best ramen I’ve ever eaten. I actually helped the owner of the establishment out of a tight spot.”

“You were in Japan?” he’s surprised, he can’t picture Jesse McCree blending in among the people of his homeland.

“Hanamura, actually. I went there after everything went to shit hopin’ to find Genji since he spoke so fondly of the place. There was a robbery at a lil restaurant called Rikimaru - Genji recommended it ages ago- and I stepped in. Had to clear out pretty quick because I already had a hefty bounty on my head but it made the local headlines.” Jesse does a little flourish with his gun before shooting out the other arm of the ORI5A target,

“I heard of a gaij--uh, _foreigner_ thwarting an attempted robbery at Rikimaru.” Hanzo corrects himself before using the derogatory term. “I did not realize it was you. I would have thought a cowboy would stand out more.” He’s been practicing his Storm Arrow technique and lets loose a volley of arrows, completely shredding the target.

Jesse whistles, “Damn, darlin’ that almost puts my fanning the hammer to shame.” Heat simmers low in his belly as Hanzo shrugs off one side of his yukata to expose his pec, hard stomach and obliques. The man is built like a Japanese god and Jesse wants to worship.

Hanzo gives Jesse a dry look, “You are drooling.”

“Can you blame me? That lil demonstration got me all tingly,” he gives an exaggerated shiver. He delights in how his archer turns rosy all the way down to his chest. His plush, muscular chest with one exposed pink nipple that is hardening in the cool air of the range-- He exhales slowly through his nose to keep himself in check, he is a _gentleman_ and they’re moving at _Hanzo’s_ pace.

Then Hanzo is putting his gear down and there’s a strong hand on his chest and Jesse’s brain short circuits. “Uh- darlin’?” he has enough presence of mind to put Peacekeeper down before things end tragically. Hanzo is looking up at him through thick, black eyelashes. His hand is warm even through his flannel and undershirt.

“I am…” Hanzo glances down. “It has been a… a trying afternoon to say the least and I find myself wanting some comfort. Could we perhaps reschedule our range date and reconvene somewhere more... _comfortable_?”

Jesse wraps his good arm around Hanzo’s waist, “What kind of _comfort_ are we talkin’, sweetness? I don’t want you to think we need to sleep together just because-”

“I am no blushing virgin, Jesse. Today has been draining and before I spend the night in the medbay on a cot, I’d like to be with you for a little while on an _actual_ bed.” Hanzo takes a step closer and slides his hand up Jesse’s chest to tangle in his thick brown hair.

“Of course, baby. We can do whatever you want. Let’s go to my room, it’s closer _and_ I managed to sneak in a memory foam mattress topper for my bed.”

 

\--

 

Jesse’s room is not what Hanzo expected at all. There are cowboy themed decorations, yes, but there are also blackout curtains over the window, a cowskin rug covering the grey carpet tiles, plush blankets on the bed in brick red, teal and shades of brown, as well as a small collection of neon lighted signs in the shapes of cacti. All in all, it’s surprisingly cozy.

Hanzo turns, taking Jesse’s hat off of his head and tossing it onto the desk. “I must say, this is a pleasant surprise. I was expecting tacky movie posters and a collection of vintage cowboy memorabilia.”

“You shoulda seen my room when I was in Blackwatch. I had posters all over the walls and an authentic replica bull skull on the back of my door,” he slides his hands up Hanzo’s sides. “Now, you wanted _comfortable_ and I’m gonna give you comfortable. Make yourself at home while I change?”

“Mmm,” Hanzo leans up for a kiss. Jesse nips at his lower lip and slips away into the bathroom. The archer wanders over to the bed and flops back onto the memory foam and soft blankets. It’s _heaven_ , like his spine is being cradled by a cloud. He could fall asleep like this… he shuts his eyes, just for a moment.

Ten minutes later, Jesse opens the bathroom door dramatically; he’s changed into a pair of tantalizingly low slung sweatpants and a tight-fitting tank top to show off his arms. He deflates when he sees Hanzo completely passed out on the bed, already snoring softly. His hair is fanned out around his head like a black halo and he looks so peaceful that Jesse just _can’t_ wake him. He doesn’t have the heart. He brushes a stray lock of hair from Hanzo’s face- he looks so peaceful like this.

Jesse carefully pulls the covers from under the archer’s body and slides into bed beside him; a little nap won’t hurt. Hanzo rolls in his sleep to snuggle against his side with his head tucked neatly under Jesse’s chin and an arm around his waist. Jesse rolls slightly to slide his arm under Hanzo’s shoulders and sighs happily. “Just… half an hour,” he yawns. It’s not the kind of sleeping together he’d imagined for this evening but it’s just as nice.

 

\--

 

“ _Where_ is your father?” Genji muses as he checks his comm for the sixth time in about as many minutes. “Athena, do you know where Hanzo is?”

“Agent Shimada is with Agent McCree in Agent McCree’s quarters. They have been there for approximately an hour, would you like me to page Agent Shimada?” her smoothly modulated voice has a lilt of amusement, as if the AI can see the face Genji is making at the idea of what his brother and best friend have been getting up to in Jesse’s room for the past hour.

“No! N-no, you don’t need to page him, thanks Athena,” he shudders. In the hospital bed, Kasumi is asleep with one pillow clutched to her chest. Genji resigns himself to spending the night in the medbay and shoots Hana a message:

_ >CyborgNinja: Hanzo never came back from his “date” with Jesse ( ಠ_ಠ ) _   
_ >Bunbunchan: OMG (❛ᴗ❛) _   
_ >Bunbunchan: r u staying w/ mimi?_

_> CyborgNinja: yea, sry i cant join ur stream_

_ >Bunbunchan: i told the subbers u had 2 bbysit _   
_ >Bunbunchan: they think its cute _   
_ >Bunbunchan: get sum sleep _   
_ >Bunbunchan: try not 2 hav nitemares about ur bro boning the cowbae _

_ >Bunbunchan: (o˘◡˘o) ❤︎ _

_ >CyborgNinja: i h8 u ꉂ `o´ ) _

_ >Bunbunchan: ❤︎❤︎❤︎❤︎ _

Genji tosses his comm aside in disgust. Sure, his brother is an adult and a man who has all the same needs as other men but being _reminded_ of that fact is just torture.

He sighs heavily as he stretches out on the cot beside his niece. He doesn’t need as much sleep as he used to, so he oftens spends his nights awake. In the past, he’d spend them with Angela- usually because she was fixing him but sometimes because they both just happened to be awake. Genji folds his hands behind his head, maybe Angela is awake now? Would they fall back into their old routine of staying up until 0300 or 0500? He can admit to himself, in the quiet of the medbay, that he misses it. Zenyatta tended to enforce a healthy sleep cycle for Genji, often powering himself down to force the cyborg to sleep due to boredom. Angela, for all of her care about the health of her teammates, never got on him about his odd hours. He rolls over to grab his comm again.

_ >CyborgNinja: u up? _

_ >Angel: yes. Why? _

_ >CyborgNinja: Hanzo never came back from his d8 with Jesse (꒪ȏ꒪;) _ _  
_ _ >CyborgNinja: So im in the medbay w mimichan ❤︎ _

_ >Angel: o _

_ >Angel: im surprised u arent playing some game with hana _

_ >CyborgNinja: nah shes streaming right now _

_ >CyborgNinja: gotta make that $$$ ୧ʕ•̀ᴥ•́ʔ୨ _

_ >Angel: lol _

_ >Angel: is kasumi asleep? _

_ >CyborgNinja: yea, shes zonked (ᴗ˳ᴗ) zzzz _

_ >Angel: to be able to sleep like a child again lol _

_ >Angel: what are you up to? _

_ >CyborgNinja: reminiscing. _

_ >CyborgNinja: rmembr when we’d stay up l8 & just talk 4 hrs _

_ >Angel: i do _

_ >Angel: usually i was yelling @ you for being reckless lol _

_ >Angel: why? do u need to be yelled at? ;) _

_ >CyborgNinja: （*’∀’人）❤︎❤︎ _ _  
_ _ >CyborgNinja:  maybe another time (⺣◡⺣) _

_ >CyborgNinja: we could play doctor ( ˘ ³˘)❤ _

_ >Angel: youre ridiculous _

_ >Angel: go to sleep _ _  
_ _ >CyborgNinja: thats not a no~ _

_ >Angel: ;) sweet dreams genji <3 _

Genji sighs, tucking his comm under his chin. How is it possible that Hanzo and Jesse can get their act together after only a few months but he and Angela have been flirting for _years_ and they’ve yet to officially get to together? Sure, they’ve hooked up a few times- wonderful, cathartic anger sex from back when he was in Blackwatch -and he’d taken her out to dinner a couple of times after saving his ass but they’d never been anything _serious_.

“Jichan, I can hear you thinking from over here,” Kasumi grumbles. She rolls to face him, eyes glowing eerily in the darkness. “What’s wrong?”

“You can’t _hear_ me thinking,” Genji narrows his eyes.

“Yeah but I heard you texting and then you’ve been sighing a lot since you _stopped_ texting so what’s up?”

He curses under his breath, “You should be a detective when you grow up, you know that?” Kasumi just arches one thick brow and looks so much like her father in that moment that Genji has to look away. “I’m having... relationship troubles.”

She sits up on one elbow, “I’m a good listener.”

Genji waves his hand, “It’s nothing. I just need to be a man and ask her out.”

Kasumi grows fluffy white ears specifically to perk them up in interest, “ _Her_? Angela-neesan?”

“Damn it! Is it that obvious?” Genji wails.

“Kind of, yeah. Hana-neechan is too young for you and she’s in love with some mechanic--”

“How do you _know_ that?”  

“Nine year olds hear _everything_ , jichan. Anyway, the only other lady around is Angela-neesan and you don’t get off base much. Easy,” she reaches out to pat his arm. “Just ask her out. It worked out for Daddy and Jesse-jichan.”

Genji groans. “It’s not that easy. You’re too young to understand, but relationships can be really complicated, okay? Angela and I have a weird past. She’s the one who _rebuilt_ me, she’s my doctor-- it’d be really weird for her to date a patient.”

Kasumi hums softly, “Do you love her?” That makes Genji stall out.

“It’s more complicated than just that. Now get some sleep, you little meddler,” he sits up and tucks Kasumi back into bed. She settles back against the pillows with a huff. “ _Sleep_.” He waits until she’s snuggled down and her eyes are closed before slipping out of the room.

It’s time to be a man.

Angela’s office is empty, as is the common room and the kitchen. She doesn’t answer the door to her room, either.

_ >CyborgNinja: where r u? චᆽච _

_ >Angel: taking a break _

_ >Angel: why? Whats up? _ _  
_ _ >CyborgNinja: can we talk _

_ >Angel: of course. _

_ >Angel: im up on the roof _ _  
_ _ >CyborgNinja: omw =͟͟͞͞( ㅇㅅㅇ))) _

He finds Angela up by the satellite array indulging in a box of imported chocolates, her one vice. “You know, people usually come up here to _smoke_ ,” he teases.

“You better not be among those people,” she tips her head back to smile at him. “I worked hard on your lungs, I’d hate to see them ruined by tobacco.”

Genji plops down beside her, “Who said it’d be tobacco?”

“Naughty!” Angela shoves at his shoulder, “Now what did you need to talk about?” Genji fidgets with his shuriken as he tries to think of how to phrase it. He’s run this scenario in his head a thousand times, a thousand different ways-- but now, on the verge of _finally_ asking her he finds himself at a loss for words. What happened to the smooth playboy who could get anyone he wanted?

He decides to just go for it. “Why did we never get together, back when I was in Blackwatch?”

Angela’s whole body goes still. “What? Genji you were my _patient-_ ”

“That never stopped us from having sex,” he turns to look at her fully. She’s radiant; her hair is highlighted with silver in the light of the moon, wide blue eyes framed with gold lashes look at him with surprise as he plunges ahead. “It never stopped us from having dinner together on too many occasions to name, or talking for hours all night about everything and texting in the middle of the night just to say hi. I kept telling myself it might be nothing-- but every time I look at you I feel _something_ and I think you feel it, too. I mean, I _hope_ you do.”

The doctor’s full, pink lips part a little in a soft gasp. Her cheeks flood with color as she tucks a loose lock of hair behind her ear. “I... “ Angela fiddles with her earring nervously. “I thought, back then, that you were just- that _we_ were just friends... with benefits. But I- I was afraid to ask for more because you were so full of anger and resentment.”

“And now?” Genji’s heart aches. “I’m not that angry little punk anymore. I’ve grown up since then.”

“I know. I’m so _proud_ of your progress,” she reaches out for his hands. “When you were abroad, I always looked forward to your letters. You were so whimsical, sending me actual paper in the mail from all over the world. And then the recall happened and suddenly here you are! You’ve changed so much since your Blackwatch years but... you’re also still the same man I had a crush on all those years ago.”

Genji gives her a lopsided grin, “Is it really a _crush_ when you’re fucking the object of it?”

“Don’t ruin the moment,” she chides.

“Sorry,” he scoots closer, until their legs are touching. “So do you want to, you know, be together, with me? Officially?”

Angela leans in to press their foreheads together, “Technically, I think we’ve been together for a while now. But _yes_ , I do. Officially.”

 

\--

 

Hanzo wakes naturally for the first time in over a decade. He’s curled around something warm and furry. At first he thinks it must be Kasumi but, as he slowly returns to the waking world, he realizes that the furry somebody he’s spooning is much too large to be his child. He opens his eyes and is greeted with a faceful of russet fur. Jesse?

He’s spooned up against the back of the huge, red-brown wolf who’s currently snoring and… is he still in Jesse’s room? Hanzo remembers laying down on the bed and then... he must have succumbed to the memory foam. His face heats up, he hadn’t meant to be a tease but the damned mattress topper was so _comfortable_ and he was so _tired_. Jesse snuffles in his sleep and yawns hugely. “Awooooooo,” he stretches, spreading out his toes. One silver eye cracks open as Jesse gives Hanzo a doggy smile, “Mornin’ beautiful. Sleep well?”

“I did. You weren’t lying about your mattress topper,” he gives in to the urge to scratch behind Jesse’s velvety ears. To his delight, he feels the tip of the wolf’s tail begin to wag against his legs, “I, ah, apologize for last night. I know I sort of gave the impression that we were going to-”

“It’s fine, darlin’. I enjoy a roll in the hay as much as anyone else but I like a good snuggle session, too.” He tips his head back into Hanzo’s hand, “Mmm, that feels nice. I haven’t had a scritchin’ in a long while.” Hanzo’s other hand sneaks around to the cowboy’s soft belly, eliciting a low moan from Jesse. “Your hands are _magic_ , babydoll.” The wolf rolls onto his back, kicking the blankets to the floor so his tail can wag in earnest.

“You are shameless,” Hanzo says fondly as he uses both hands to scratch through the thick fur on the cowboy’s chest. Jesse’s tongue lolls out of his mouth as the archer rubs up and down his chest and belly. The fur on his stomach is thick and downy, slightly paler than the hair on the rest of his body. Hanzo has the sudden, intense urge to press his face into that soft tummy fur--but resists. Instead, he keeps rubbing, from the waistband of his tacky horse-print boxers to the underside of Jesse’s chin.

“Feels so nice,” Jesse sighs. He changes to hybrid form under Hanzo’s fingers so he can wrap his good arm around Hanzo’s waist. “You look good with a lil stubble and bedhead. Makes you look all cozy.”

“And you have bed _body_ ,” he chuckles. “I did not expect you to be the little spoon.”

“A man likes to feel small sometimes,” Jesse huffs. His paw pads are surprisingly soft against Hanzo’s bare skin. He leans down and presses a kiss to the side of Jesse’s muzzle. The hand on his belly flattens out and slides down to toy with the waist of his underwear. Jesse’s hips lift a little as a moan rumbles through his body. “Hanzo…”

“Is this okay?” he presses another kiss to his furry cheek and runs his nose down to the ruff of fur on his neck. Jesse sighs a yes as Hanzo’s hand slides past the band of his underwear. His legs spread as Hanzo slides his fingers along his wet folds. He finds Jesse’s engorged cock peeking from its hood and slides his fingers over it, rubbing in small circles as the bigger man squirms and whimpers underneath him.

Hanzo finds one of his nipples hidden in the thick fur of Jesse’s chest and tweaks it, eliciting a whine from the wolf. He leans down, nuzzling against his pec and running his tongue over Jesse’s other nipple. He grazes his teeth over the sensitive flesh as he slides his fingers down to tease Jesse’s front hole, “I want to taste you, Jesse. Can I?” Hanzo kisses down Jesse’s body, working his underwear down his thick thighs.

“ _Yes_ ,” he kicks his underwear off as Hanzo moves between his legs. Jesse’s body is glorious, thick muscled thighs framing a set of wet lips and a red little phallus peeking from a thatch of dark hair. Hanzo presses kisses to his inner thighs and uses his thumbs to carefully spread the other man open. “Hanzo,” Jesse moans. “Please, baby.” Hanzo slides his tongue over his entrance, up to his cock. He wraps his lips around it and sucks, Jesse cries out and puts his hand on the back of Hanzo’s head. “G-gently, gently, baby.” Hanzo licks at his head and slides his tongue along the shaft, twirling it around before pulling it back into his mouth. “That’s it, yeah, oh god Hanzo-” He slips the tip of his finger inside of Jesse’s tight heat.

Jesse bucks against Hanzo’s finger as it slides into him, still working his swollen cock with his tongue. Hanzo pumps his finger in and out, slipping in a second one and scissoring them. He’s so hot and wet, Hanzo moans against his skin and bites at his inner thigh. “Come for me, Jesse,” he growls as his fingers brush against that spot inside of him and the other man arches his back off of the bed. Jesse grips Hanzo’s head and presses his face against his crotch as he comes on Hanzo’s tongue and fingers. Hanzo licks and sucks him through his orgasm until the other man is trembling with oversensitivity. Jesse’s hand drops from his head and Hanzo sits up, wiping his mouth.

Jesse shifts back to man and drags Hanzo down for a biting kiss. “Get naked.”

Hanzo pulls his briefs off while Jesse quickly reattaches his arm. One cool hand grips his hip while Jesse reaches around with his good hand to stroke Hanzo’s leaking cock. Sharp teeth nibble at his earlobe, “I’m going to fuck you _right_.” He runs his thumb over the head of Hanzo’s cock. “Now get on your hands and knees for me, babydoll.” Jesse gives Hanzo a push onto the bed.

He scrambles onto the bed and gets on all fours. Jesse opens the drawer of his bedside table, revealing a brown leather harness and a rainbow assortment of silicone cocks. “For you baby… I’m thinkin’ _blue_.” Hanzo shivers as Jesse pulls out a blue dildo with an impressive length and enticing knot. He takes out two bottles of lube, looks at the labels on both, then chooses the one that’s not an alarming shade of blue-green.

“I am afraid to ask but what was the other bottle?” Hanzo asks as Jesse crawls up behind him.

“This one’s got a warming sensation, the other had a _tingling_ sensation,” he presses a kiss between Hanzo’s shoulder blades. He slides one slick finger between Hanzo’s cheeks, rubbing at his tight entrance. Hanzo moans quietly at the feel of warm lubricant and Jesse’s thick finger slowly pressing inside of his tight hole. “Relax, baby,” Jesse trails open mouthed kisses down his spine.

Hanzo breathes out slowly as Jesse spreads his cheeks open, hands strong and sure and his brain shorts out when he feels a warm, wet tongue slide across his hole. “Jesse!” He drops down to his elbows as the cowboy works him open with his tongue and fingers. He pants as Jesse works his way up to three fingers.

“Are you ready for me, baby?” he withdraws his fingers from Hanzo’s ass, leaving the other man feeling empty until Jesse presses the head of his cock inside him.

“Jesse, please,” Hanzo sobs.

“I got you, darlin’,” Jesse pushes inside of him in one smooth motion, filling Hanzo up and punching a low moan from him. He presses the knot teasingly against his ass before pulling back slowly. He starts a steady pace, hands on Hanzo’s hips. The silicone cock fills Hanzo, the knot at the base pressing against his entrance with every roll of Jesse’s hips. He gives a particularly hard thrust, brushing against Hanzo’s prostate.

Hanzo cries out and Jesse smirks, “Was that it?” He pulls back and thrusts back in, hitting that sweet spot again. “I asked you a question, babydoll.”

“Yes!” he shouts as Jesse hits his prostate with another thrust. _“Yes!”_ Jesse sets a brutal pace, aiming for Hanzo’s prostate with every roll of his hips. Hanzo sobs, reaching for his aching cock as Jesse fucks him hard and fast. He jerks himself as the cowboy pounds into him. “Jesse, give me your knot. Please, please, Jesse, I need it,” Hanzo digs his fingers into the pillows beneath him as he feels his climax approaching.

“Yes, yes Han- take my knot,” Jesse pants as he pushes the thick knot into Hanzo’s body.

“ _Jesse_ ,” Hanzo moans as his orgasm hits, ropes of white come streaking over his hand and onto the sheets. “Gods, _Jesse_.”

“Love the way you say my name,” he presses a wet kiss to the back of Hanzo’s neck as he slowly eases out. They separate and kick the dirty sheets to the floor, falling together in a tangle of limbs. “I gotta say, this has been the best morning I’ve had in a long, long time.” Jesse combs his fingers through Hanzo’s sweat-damp hair.

“Mmm,” Hanzo scootches over to give Jesse a kiss. “What do you say to sharing a shower and getting brunch in the city?”

“I’d say this morning is getting better by the minute,” he grins. “Let’s bring the little one, she’s probably itching to get out of the medbay. I know this great little place by the water that makes the _best_ waffles.”

 

\--

 

Kasumi yawns, stretching as she wakes up alone in the medbay. She feels great, the IV biotics have done wonders for her skin: the redness around the golden marks is completely gone, the dermatitis from the standard issue soap is totally healed and it even fixed her chapped lips.

The bed beside hers is empty, which is hardly surprising since Genji-jichan left pretty late last night after their conversation. She considers waiting in the medbay for Angela-neesan to come back and formally release her but who knows how long that might take? If her hunch is correct, she probably spent the night with Genji-jichan and is still asleep or, at the very least, otherwise occupied. Kasumi hops down from the bed and peeks into Angela-neesan’s office. Empty. Her scent is old, too, so she hasn’t been in the medbay in at least the past 12 hours.

The girl slips out the door and heads to her bedroom for a shower and a change of clothes. At this time of morning, the halls are empty. The agents who rise with the sun (Zenyatta-san, Genji-jichan, Angela-neesan, her father) should be at breakfast soon while everyone else should either still be asleep or just waking up. She zips down the halls towards the dorms, skidding the last several feet to her door on socked feet. Kasumi feels full of energy, like it’s crackling just under her skin, and she wants to do things today. She wants to find out if her guardian can be summoned in battle like her father’s dragons.

In her room, she strips and hops in the shower to wash off the antiseptic smell of the medbay. Once clean, Kasumi changes into a white tee shirt and pink cotton overalls and makes the executive decision that she doesn’t want to go to the medbay without breakfast. She nods to herself and heads out to the kitchen, intending on getting some fruit and some of that sugary sweet tea Jesse-jichan makes.

“ _Yeodongsaeng_!” Hana crashes into Kasumi from behind and lifts her in a spinning hug. “You’re looking a thousand percent better, did Angela finally release you?”

“Angela hasn’t been to the medbay yet,” Kasumi admits, “But I got sick of waiting. Have you seen her?”

“Nope. I just woke up, though.” Her blonde hair is up in a bouncy ponytail and she’s wearing an oversized green hoodie with Lucio’s logo on it. “Brigette is arriving later today, I’m so excited!” Hana links arms with Kasumi. “She’s got a _rocket flail_ as her weapon, how cool is that? And she’s a mechanic like Torby, so she is _super_ interested in my meka. Brigette said she might be able to make improvements to my defense matrix-- I’m just so pumped to work with her on Tokki.”

Kasumi is steered into the kitchen where Lucio is bouncing along to a peppy song on the radio and pulling a sheet of little half-moon pastries from the oven. “Olá! I made breakfast empanadas-- eggs, chorizo, onion, bell pepper, potato and cheese. Reinhardt requested something hearty for after his morning workout.”

“Smells delicious,” Hana grabs plates for everyone. “Where’s Zenny? He usually loves helping in the kitchen.”

“He’s with Lena doing a quickie supply run,” Lucio slides a second sheet of empanadas into the oven. “Apparently Brigette is bringing a Bastion unit that Torbjorn befriended and it has a pet bird.”

Hana nearly drops the stack of plates. “What? _Torbjorn_ befriended a _what_ now?”

“I didn’t believe it either but Lena swears it’s true. They’re going to get birdseed for its little friend and some sprouts.”

“Sprouts?” Kasumi snags an empanada. “Why?”

“Supposedly, the Bastion wants to start a vegetable garden. I’m down for it, there’s nothing like having fresh produce and herbs. My mamãe tried growing her own veggies but she had a black thumb; everything she tried to plant died.” Lucio shakes his head, “She even killed a cactus.”

“Yikes,” Hana takes a plate and some empanadas, plopping down beside Kasumi. “Speaking of black thumbs, have you seen Angela? Lil miss here snuck out of the medbay without leave.”

“Angela-neesan is a plant-killer?” Kasumi frowns. She distinctly remembers seeing an aloe plant in Angela’s office that was very much alive.

“Mhmm, that lil aloe plant in her office is only alive because of me,” Lucio chuckles. “But actually, no, I haven’t seen her this morning. Maybe she’s decided to sleep in for once?”

“Dr Ziegler _never_ sleeps in,” Hana pulls out her comm. “Lemme text her.”

“Or we could just ask Athena?” Kasumi suggests. “Athena, do you know where Angela-neesan is?”

“Dr Ziegler is currently in Agent Genji Shimada’s room.”

“ _Oooooo_ ,” Hana and Lucio grin mischievously. Lucio shuts off the oven and races out the door right behind Hana and Kasumi. The trio skid to a stop in front of Genji’s door just as it opens to reveal Angela with bedhead in one of Genji’s tee shirts and a pair of striped boxers.

“Guten Morgen?” the doctor frowns. “Is everything okay? Athena said you were looking for me?”

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” Hana asks gleefully.

“Uh,” she checks her watch, eyes widening. “Scheisse!” Genji drapes himself over her like a particularly clingy octopus.

“ _Rirakkusu_ , koibito,” he nuzzles her cheek. “Everyone’s fine, they’re just being terrible.”

There’s a clicking sound from overhead and Winston’s voice on the intercom, “Good morning everyone, our two new recruits are arriving in T-30 minutes and, after they arrive, there is a meeting in the War Room to go over new intel on Soldier 76’s movements.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Jesse- Can I have a beer?  
> Hanzo- Whiskey, please. Sake, please. 
> 
> Genji- Relax, my love.


	15. -fifteen-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter, we've officially hit the midpoint

_ “What have you come to Earth for?' _

_ 'I'm having difficulties with a flower,' the little prince said. _

_ 'Ah!' said the snake. _

_ And they were both silent.”  _

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

 

The last mercenary falls with a single shot to the head, his body joining the other black-clad men and women scattered around the crumbling hideout. In her perch on the roof, Ana does a quick scan to be sure that all of their pursuers are dead, then holsters her rifle to tend to her patient. Jack is huddled down next to his duffel bag, a sheen of fever sweat on his face. The mercs had taken them by surprise as they left the necropolis to chase a lead on Gabriel’s next movements. At first, they’d suspected Talon, but it had turned out to be a group of rogues looking to cash in on the bounties for Soldier: 76 and Bastet, formerly the Shrike; though Ana suspected they were probably operating on a tip from the terrorist organization. 

Jack had been shot in the back, reopening his wounds from their run-in with Reaper barely a week ago. Ana pulls the white haired soldier forward and finds that his body is trying to heal around the bullet still embedded in his skin. Not only that, but there seems to be an infection from the buckshot Reaper had used in his weapon that Ana had somehow missed. She curses, she is no medic and this situation is looking grim. Jack’s own stubborn will had kept her from calling Angela the first time but now, with mercenaries on their tail and her partner unable to move, she fishes the comm from Jack’s belongings and sends an SOS to Overwatch. 

Ana prays that they make it in time. 

 

\--

 

The War Room is a conference room meant for top secret meetings; it has a soundproof door and scramblers to prevent electronic eavesdropping. There is also a secure channel for teleconferencing that currently is displaying a high ranking member of Helix Security forces: Fareeha “Pharah” Amari. Her face is pinched with displeasure as the current members of Overwatch file into the room to join Winston: the Lindholms, Reinhardt, Lucio, Hana, Zenyatta, Genji, Hanzo, Jesse, Angela, Lena and the Bastion. The cowboy tips his hat to her, getting a short nod in return. 

“Now that everyone is here, we can go over what we’ve learned about Soldier: 76, formerly Strike-Commander John Morrison,” Winston adjusts his glasses as the holo files shimmer into view between the telescreen and the rest of the group. “A distress signal was sent from the comm Dr Ziegler gave to Soldier: 76 in Dorado approximately ten hours ago. The message didn’t have any details aside from the coordinates of the device.”

“The signal is coming from near a Helix Security base just outside of a known necropoilis where the Shrike is rumored to have stayed until recently. One of my teams found a group of dead mercenaries all killed with headshots surrounding a decrepit building. They were told to monitor the area but so far nobody has come or gone. We suspect the Shrike is working with 76 and they’re holed up there,” Amari explains. “I have intelligence that suggests the Shrike, now apparently going by the name  _ Bastet _ , is actually…” she pauses, turning away for a moment to compose herself. “Is actually my mother, Ana Amari.” 

“Where did you get this intelligence?” Angela asks in a strangled voice while the rest of the room sits in silent shock. 

“A message sent to me,” Fareeha clenches her jaw. “It had things in it that  _ only  _ my mother would know. It is genuine.” 

“And y’all think she’s with Jack?” Jesse clenches his metal fist, “They wouldn’t’ve sent out an SOS unless it’s urgent. So what’s the plan?”

“Because 76 and Bastet are technically vigilantes, Overwatch will be assisting Helix in their capture-”

“ _ Capture _ ?” Lena explodes, “You mean  _ rescue _ ! Jesse just said that they wouldn’t have sent out a call for help unless they really, really needed it.”

“No, we mean capture,” Fareeha’s eyes are wet but her voice is firm. “Helix is willing to turn the fugitives over to Overwatch custody after we have had the chance to interrogate them for information on their activities. Winston has plead for their cases to the UN as well as my superiors. A Helix representative will be sent to Overwatch to make sure that they are being… rehabilitated… and not violating the terms of their arrest.”

“And what are those terms?” Reinhardt’s voice is uncharacteristically quiet. 

Winston clears his throat, “They will be held by Overwatch for twenty-four months and will be expected to cooperate with international law enforcement to assist with operations against Talon. After the sixteen months of, essentially, house arrest, depending on their behavior, they may be cleared to go out on Overwatch-sanctioned missions. They will not be allowed to leave Gibraltar until the UN and Helix have approved them running missions with us.”

Genji leans back in his chair, whistling softly from under his mask. “That is awfully lenient from the UN, considering their crimes.” 

Fareeha cracks a small smile, “Winston and I can be incredibly persuasive. Besides, even the UN hesitates at arresting Jack Morrison and Ana Amari: decorated veterans of the Crisis and beloved public figures. I may have  _ reminded  _ them of the public outcry that putting them in jail would cause.” 

“You sly little minx,” Lena claps her hands. Fareeha gives a little bow on screen. 

“So what’s the go plan?” Lucio leans forward, “If they sent an SOS they might need medical evac.” 

Angela nods, “Lucio and I will go as medical support-”

“I want to be on the ground,” Lucio protests, “My speed boost would be better used for bringing them to you.” Genji nods in agreement.

Winston pulls up four profiles: Angela, Lucio, Brigette, Genji. “This is the team, not including Fareeha’s people. Angela- you will remain on the ship ready to begin emergency medical treatment if it’s needed. Lucio- you will use your speed boost with Brigette and Genji to get to Ana and Jack. You’ll also assess any injuries and speed boost back to the transport. Brigette- you’re their shield. Genji- you’ll be Team Leader and scout ahead with Fareeha’s team to clear the building.” 

“My team consists of myself as lead and two others whom I trust to watch our backs and keep quiet about my mother and Jack,” Fareeha pulls up two photos. “Abioye Babineaux and  Tidir Attar. Abioye is a sniper and Tidir is our tank.”

“The signal hasn’t moved in the past several hours. Hopefully that means they’ve decided to simply stay put,” Winston stands, “Lena, you’re our pilot. You guys get your gear and meet at the hangar in fifteen minutes.”

 

\--

 

She hears them before she sees them; Ana peeks from the window at a faint green glow heading their way. Helix security forces have been guarding the area for the past several hours which has been a blessing in the sense that nobody can get to them but also a curse, because that also means she has been stuck in the decrepit building unable to leave for supplies. They’re on the last biotic emitter and it’s just barely keeping the infection from spreading. Jack’s body is trying desperately to heal (a combination of increased healing factor from the SEP and just being a lycan) but days of travel and bare minimum medical treatment means he just doesn’t have the energy to fight off the infection  _ and  _ deal with his wounds. 

The green dot is moving quickly towards them with another dot barely visible against the black sky. Ana’s eye zooms in on the one on the ground, gasping softly when it comes into focus.  _ Genji? _ He looks different in matte black with green running lights but she is certain it is him leading the team of three up from a cluster of Helix armored vehicles. She recognizes Brigette, all grown up and looking like a shield maiden, as well as the DJ turned freedom fighter Lucio Correia dos Santos. The other is a muscular woman in Helix-issue camo gear with a shield similar to Brigette’s. 

A glance to the sky nearly stops her breath:  _ Fareeha _ . Her daughter is in a Raptora battle suit streaking across the sky like a comet. She turns away from the window and shuts her eyes, the artificial one refocusing to normal 20/20 range. “Do you see something?” Jack rasps from his cot in the corner.

“Yes. A team is coming in, I did not see Angela but I can only assume she is standing by,” Ana reaches over to move his sweat-soaked hair from his face. Jack looks terrible: he’s pale with spots of color high on his cheeks, the wounds on his back are red and inflamed and leaking a yellowish liquid into the bandages. He needs IV biotics and surgery, not an expired biotic emitter that’s meant for bruises and minor fractures. She had dug out the bullet and shrapnel while Jack was unconscious but she hadn’t been able to get to him quick enough to prevent the infection from spreading. 

Downstairs, there’s the sound of the door opening and the slight non-noise of several people creeping inside. Ana puts her weapon away and lifts her hands just as they round the corner at the top of the stairs and their biotic emitter finally gives out. 

“Roof is clear,” Pharah says over the comms, loud in the quiet room. 

“Interior is clear,” Genji and Lucio rush to Jack’s side. “Jack needs medical attention, you might have to carry him.” To Ana, “What happened?”

“An ambush. We got into an altercation with the Reaper several days ago and then a group of mercenaries attacked as we were leaving the necropolis. Jack took the worst of the damage- he was slow because he’d already been injured. I’ve been trying to keep the wound clean and the infection from spreading with his biotic emitters but…” Ana watches as the freedom fighter sets his musical equipment to a frequency that emits a soft golden glow. An audio medic? She’d only heard of Vishkar looking into the healing effects of sound-- how did  _ he  _ get his hands on such sophisticated equipment. Jack’s breathing immediately eases and Lucio wraps his wounds in clean gauze for transport. Brigette and the other woman easily shoulder their few bags. 

“Ana Amari, you are under arrest. You will be placed in Overwatch’s custody and you will be tried by the UN. You have the right to legal counsel- although I strongly suggest that you cooperate. Captain Amari has persuaded them to be very lenient with you,” the African woman says as she places Ana in hardlight cuffs. 

Pharah drops down from a hole in the ceiling and avoids looking at her mother. Genji takes Ana’s rifle and Pharah kneels down to examine Jack with Lucio. “I can’t fly with him like this, and I don’t want to risk carrying him. The transport truck is on its way with Mercy. We will meet them outside and they will take us back to base.”

 

\--

 

Jack is transported from the Helix main base in Cairo to a hospital with Mercy at his side. The doctor managed to stabilize him long enough to get him to surgery. After a physical examination by one of the on-staff Helix medics Ana is placed in the medbay and given IV fluids. During all of it, Fareeha spends her time with her officers, avoiding her mother and Jack entirely. 

Genji gets up from where he was writing his report and heads over to the Captain and her officers. “Fareeha, may I have a moment?” The others step away to give them some privacy. 

“Hey, Genji. You’ve certainly changed. I like the black and green, it’s very modern ninja,” she’s changed from the Raptora suit into a pair of camo pants and a black long sleeve shirt. “My sergeant, Imani Al-Amin, has a lead on the mercenary group that attacked 76 and Bastet. We suspect they have connections to a company in Cuba that is  _ probably _ a front for a money laundering scheme.”

“Probably?”

“Well, it’s out of our jurisdiction- since it’s  _ Cuba _ and all- and the owner of the company is a shady omnic businessman who’s rarely seen in public. We handed over our information to the UN and Winston. Anyway, you wanted a word?”

Genji removes his mask. “Fareeha, I like to think we were once friends.”

Fareeha raises an eyebrow. “You called me an annoying little brat with a hero-complex.” 

He winces. “I apologize for that. I was a much angrier person back then. But, that’s not the point. The point is, why haven’t you spoken to your mother? You won’t even be in the same room as her for more than a couple of minutes.” 

“What am I supposed to say?” she hisses. “I thought she was  _ dead _ . We had a  _ funeral _ . God- we all mourned for her and then she has the nerve to send me a  _ message _ saying not only that  _ she’s _ alive, but that  _ Jack _ and  _ Gabe _ are too? And that Gabe is apparently  _ evil _ now? What the fuck am I supposed to say to that?” 

The mask falls from Genji’s limp hand. “What?”

“What?” Fareeha jumps as the mask clatters to the floor. 

“What?!” Genji grabs her shoulders. 

“Oh, shit did you not know?”

“No!” Genji’s hands fly to his head. “ _ Nanite kotoda _ ,  _ Reyes _ ?” Fareeha slaps her hand over his mouth. 

“I’m sorry you had to find out secondhand from me but you’ve  _ got  _ to lower your voice. This isn’t something we want made public. Breathe, Shimada,” she whispers fiercely. Genji nods against her hand, taking a deep breath through his nose. “You okay?” She takes her hands away as he exhales. 

“No. I’m really not okay, but I suppose I have to be. Who else knows?”

“Me, you, Jack and my mother,” she keeps her voice low. “As far as I know, they’ve admitted to having encounters with the Reaper but are keeping the fact that they know his identity a secret. Although, now that I think about it, it’s kind of obvious isn’t it? The barn owl mask, the whole dark aesthetic, the dual wielded shotguns…”

Genji rakes his hand through his hair, wincing as some of it gets caught in the joints of his fingers. “Not necessarily. We all thought he’d died in Zurich with everyone else and- I mean I know there were rumors- but  _ none  _ of us thought he’d turn to the other side and work for Talon.” 

They’re interrupted by Brigette trotting over with her comm in hand. “Dr Ziegler just called. She said that Farbror Jack is in surgery and that we’ll have to wait a few days until he’s stable enough to be moved to Gibraltar. Lucio is with Mrs Amari and he says she’s okay to come back with us.”

“Mother was never married, technically she’s still a miss,  _ but _ Helix still needs to assign a contact to go with you guys to Watchpoint Gibraltar.” Fareeha tugs at the jewelry in her hair. “I’ll have to talk to my Commander. You guys are welcome to stay at the base until a decision is made.”

“And Miss Amari?”

Fareeha’s jaw tightens, “She’ll stay in the medbay under guard. I don’t trust her not to slip away in the night again.” She turns on her heel and walks away stiffly. 

“ _ So… _ that went well,” Tidir wanders over to the little group. “Abioye is with Lucio in the medbay and my CO asked me to show you all to the common room where you’ll be staying until the higher-ups decide who’s going with you guys. There’s also some empty beds in the dorms if you need to sleep.” 

Genji picks up his mask from the floor, “We appreciate it, Attar-san. The dorms sound incredibly appealing right now. The adrenaline is wearing off.” 

Brigette nods, “Yes, I think we all need to crash. Is anyone going to relieve Lucio?” 

“Ah, yes, Dr Chioma Kayode will be taking over the care of Captain Amari’s mother and Nnenne Samara will be her guard. Lucio should be joining you within the hour,” Tidir badges open the door for the little group, “that is, if he is done being a raging fanboy.”

The dorms are set up suite style, each door leading to four rooms with two beds each and a bathroom with four shower stalls and four bathroom stalls. “This set of suites are empty, you’re welcome to any of the rooms, as well as the bathroom if you need to freshen up. The common room is at the top of the hall, across from the kitchen.”

Genji and Brigette thank Tidir and then are left alone. They wander into separate rooms to sleep until Helix gives them the all-clear to go back home where they can discuss the revelation about the Reaper’s true identity and what to do about it. 

 

\--

 

“Overwatch came to Amari and Morrison’s rescue. Right now they’re still in Cairo at the Helix main base,” Sombra leans back in her chair, feet propped up on the console as she skims through the feed from the security cameras. It had been laughably easy to hack into the video feed of their medbay and living areas. “Well, Amari is. Apparently one of the mercs decided to nearly kill your man.” She smirks over at the thick shadow lurking in the corner of the room. Ever since he’d come back from Egypt, Reaper had been sulking over his failure to kill Jack. 

Or, at least, that’s how it appeared. Sombra suspected that Reyes wasn’t really putting his heart into murdering his former colleagues. “He’s not _my_ _man_ ,” the shadow growls as it solidifies into the Reaper. 

“So you’re saying you  _ wouldn’t _ have been upset if some random mercenary killed Jack Morrison instead of you?” Sombra asks sweetly. Reaper just snarls and ghosts over to look at the video from the hospital. Jack is out of surgery and hooked up with IV biotics and painkillers. Angela Ziegler is at his side typing on her datapad-- Sombra easily mirrors the screen and watches as the good doctor writes her report. “Looks like Jackie is gonna be okay.”

“Does Ogundimu know about this?” Reaper reaches out to touch Jack’s picture with one clawed finger. 

“He doesn’t have to,” Sombra raises one perfectly manicured brow. “After all, Morrison is your pet project. Akande has… other goals. Especially now that so many Overwatch agents are all conveniently in one place that you’ve already infiltrated once.” 

“Ogundimu is a fool if he thinks the monkey hasn’t increased security since our last attack,” Reyes pulls up the list of known active agents currently at Gibraltar; gathered as inactive ones were slowly picked off one by one. 

“Mmmm, perhaps, but they’re scattered right now and shaken up from learning that their  _ beloved _ commanders have been alive the whole time,” Sombra purrs. 

“Overwatch is mine to destroy,” he snarls. “I  _ will _ have my vengeance.”

  
  



	16. -sixteen-

_ “If a sheep eats bushes does it eat flowers too? _

_ A sheep eats whatever it finds. _

_ Even a flower with thorn? _

_ Even a flower with thorns. _

_ Then what's the good of thorns?”  _

**_― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince_ **

 

Winston rubs his paw down his face after Mercy ends their holo-call; the UN wasn’t going to be happy to learn that the trials for Amari and Morrison would have to be delayed. They also weren’t going to like the fact that Talon has the pair on their hit-list. That will mean increased security costs for the trials and more Overwatch agents off base, leaving Gibraltar vulnerable. He understands now why Jack wanted out enough to fake his death, being Commander isn’t easy and he’s got  _ barely _ a fraction of what Overwatch used to be. He can’t imagine having to deal with thousands of active agents, civilian employees, PR, R&D and Blackwatch. 

He sends messages to Reinhardt and Torbjorn to get ready to go to the UN headquarters and set up security. A few turrets wouldn’t hurt outside, especially after the Mondatta incident, and Reinhardt was good at managing large groups. With Brigette, Mercy, Lucio and Genji that should be more than enough security to escort Ana and Jack. It was difficult to not bring them home right away like he’d originally planned but the UN had insisted that they be held accountable for their actions, even if it meant holding their trial before they were fully recovered. Winston was promised that it wouldn’t be publicized, but he knows from past experience that nothing is ever kept secret for long.

After all, that’s what happened with Blackwatch and Gabriel Reyes. 

Athena’s logo flashes on the screen briefly, “Agents Reinhardt and Torbjorn have received your message. Agent Oxton is calling in. Answer?”

“Yes, please,” Winston smiles as Tracer’s face fills the screen. “Hello, how are things in Egypt? Angela tells me that Jack will be ready to move in a couple of days.”

“Things are strange here, to be honest. Genji and Fareeha are acting all cagey, it’s putting everyone on edge. Fareeha even suggested that I fly back to Gibraltar!”

“Fly back? But then who will take Jack and Ana to Europe?” 

“She says she will. Helix assigned her to be their Overwatch contact since she already has a good relationship with the old guard. I trust her piloting skills but I feel like she’s hiding something and Genji knows what it is,” Lena is still hurt from the revelation that Jack and Ana are alive, another agent keeping secrets is only demoralizing her further. Winston will have to speak to Genji himself later, after a rest to alleviate the headache he can feel coming. 

“Come on back,” he says instead, “I trust Genji not to keep something mission-important to himself. If Fareeha says she can fly them then you can take Reinhardt and Torbjorn to the trial location early. The director of the UN asked for increased security in case Talon tries to attack.”

“Sure, Commander,” Lena salutes. “I’ll have the bird in the air in a little bit. Tracer, out.” The screen blinks back to Athena’s soothing blue logo. Winston deflates, he’s exhausted. He doesn’t have the spoons to talk to Genji about his suspected secrets. The scientist heads to his room above the lab and settles down to sleep in his blanket nest. 

“Athena, please set my alarms to not disturb me unless its an emergency.” 

 

\--

 

Overwatch is  _ his _ to take down, Reaper seethes as he scrolls through security footage from around Gibraltar. The organization had betrayed him, pushed him away from his partners, forced him into Black Ops, turned him into something unrecognizable… something no longer human. There was one person who had never turned on him, though, one person he’d never raise a gun to. Reaper’s claws dissolve into smoke as he traces a familiar cowboy hat on the holoscreen. His  _ boy _ . There was too much Reyes in him to be able to destroy the one good thing he’d found in that godforsaken gorge all those years ago. 

“Feeling sentimental?” a lightly accented voice startles him from his reverie. Dr O’Deorain meanders over to the console with her black otter Rex tucked against her chest. The rabbit even has a matching lab coat. Reaper swipes through to a surveillance video taken from a cafe showing his boy and the older Shimada on what appears to be a date. “Hmm, a dragon and a cowboy. They make an odd couple. Seems like Akande will be disappointed to learn that the Shimada has picked a side.” 

“Shimada made his views about Talon very clear the last time Ogundimu sent him a message,” Reaper remembers their messenger’s body had been found full of arrows in the shape of the Japanese word for  _ no _ . “Overdramatic, but clear.” 

“The Shimadas have always been dramatic,” Moira waves a hand dismissively. “Or do you not remember the tantrums Genji used to throw?”

Reaper growls softly, “Vaguely. He was usually fighting with McCree over some imagined slight.” 

A sharp rap on the doorframe captures their attention. Amelie is holding a datapad in one perfectly manicured hand and looks… well, she looks neutral as usual but also somehow tired. It’s there, in the slight sagging of her posture and the downturn of her mouth. “Ogundimu has returned. He requests everyone’s presence in the main conference rooms.” She stalks out, obviously unconcerned if they follow her or not. Reaper didn’t think he’d be back from his meeting with Maximilian for at least another day. 

They head to the conference room and find Ogundimu standing at the head of the long table with a sinister little smile on his face. Sombra shoots Reaper a brief look that might be apologetic. “Overwatch is scattered,” Akande says without preamble. “The UN has discovered the identities of Bastet and Soldier 76 and demand that they be put on trial.” On the screens behind them images of Ana Amari and Jack Morrison appear. “Overwatch is providing security, spreading themselves thin. If we destroy Gibraltar we can strike a fatal blow.” He is in a good mood. “I have a feeling once their base falls, they will scatter like… smoke on the wind. Go back to their little corners of the world and lick their wounds. We strike as soon as your team is ready, Reaper.”

Reaper seethes internally at not being allowed to chase down Morrison, “I can have a team ready by tomorrow.” Akande nods and turns back to the holo screens, effectively dismissing them. Sombra catches up with Reaper as he stalks down the halls to gather a strike team, feeling somehow… conflicted. 

_ “Gabi- _ ”

“Don’t call me that,” he snarls. He knows Sombra is her own agent, much like himself, but he thought they had an understanding. “I was supposed to finish Morrison off, not lead another charge on the goddamn Watchpoint.”

“I can make it up to you,” she produces a flash drive from her pocket. “While everyone is distracted, you could use this to scan Dr Ziegler’s files in the medbay.”

“Those files are encrypted,” Reaper’s steps slow just a little. “I hacked Athena’s mainframe and couldn’t download anything more than agent locations.” It had been a nice consolation prize, certainly what Ogundimu had been looking for. “Besides, O’Deorain’s files would be more useful to me.”

“Ziegler and O’Deorain used to be in constant communication. Their notes would be saved in your patient files or experimental records,” Sombra taps Reaper’s shoulder with the little purple drive. “And there’s nothing I can’t get into. Plug this  _ bebé  _ into her workstation and I’ll be able to remote in and download anything that seems relevant.”

Reaper snatches the drive from her hand. “You’d better hope there’s something in there worth my time.” Maybe he’d get some information about what had been done to him, about what was happening  _ now _ . Maybe he’d have some ammunition to pump Morrison for information before he killed him for real this time. 

 

\--

 

Jesse watches with a critical eye as Kasumi runs through the course with Hana; he’d set it up to be moderately difficult for Kasumi and a refresher course for Hana. He’d chosen an urban layout with plenty of buildings for cover  _ and _ for bots to hide in. Jesse also set the bots to move randomly and react to the sound of gunfire like a human enemy would. Hanzo is sitting at the table in the control room working on Stormbow and failing to stop fretting over Kasumi down in the arena. 

“She’s doin’ good. You trained her pretty well with the pulse pistol,” Jesse thinks her stance could use improvement and she’s got a tendency to get tunnel vision but he’s sure that she’ll improve with a little extra instruction. “Hana’s coachin’ her, too. She’s gettin’ a lot better at movin’ around out of her meka and using cover.” 

Hanzo, unable to keep himself away from the glass anymore, comes over to observe. “What setting are the bots at?”

The cowboy rolls his eyes, “Enough to hurt but not to bruise. Pain’s a good teacher.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just- the idea that she might need these skills unsettles me,” Hanzo reaches for Jesse’s hand. The cowboy noticed that Hanzo goes for his hand when he needs comfort. He laces their fingers together as Kasumi takes down a bot with two shots to the chest and Hana gets three headshots on the other side of the course. “I am glad that she has so many skilled teachers, though.” 

“I can’t speak for everyone, but it’s a damn pleasure to teach her. Kasumi’s like a little sponge.” The girl barely dodges a shot as she races from one building to another. Jesse presses the intercom button to correct her form just as all of the lights go out in the building. “What in tarnation? Kasumi, stay put. Hana, go to her. We’re comin’ down there.”

Hanzo has Stormbow at the ready as they listen for any sound in the dark. Red emergency lights barely illuminate the range, creating deep shadows where anyone could be hiding. Jesse pulls out Peacekeeper as he creeps towards the door, Hanzo following at his six. He shifts partially to get a wolf’s low light vision and enhance his sense of smell. They move in tandem towards the emergency staircase down to the range. Jesse inhales, trying to scent past the metallic tang of fear and ozone from the pulse pistols hanging in the air. The stairwell is claustrophobic as they silently make their way down. There’s no need to alert any intruders to the fact that there is a non combatant in the building. 

Alarms start to sound, nearly deafening Jesse with his sensitive ears, and Athena’s voice rings through the building:  _ “Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert”.  _ Hanzo leaps down over the railing of the staircase and races into the range with Jesse hot on his heels. 

“Kasumi!” he shouts, trying to be heard over the wail of the alarms. She and Hana break away from the cover of the buildings to run to him. Jesse’s ears are pricked up as he scans the area for any hostiles. Winston told him that before the Recall, Talon had tried to hack Athena for the locations of former Overwatch agents but now… well, they were in one place. What an opportunity to kill off a whole bunch at once. Jesse spits a curse. 

“Hanzo, we need to get Kasumi to the medbay. It can be fully locked down like a panic room. Hana, I want you  _ glued _ to her fucken  _ side- _ ”

“Let me get to my meka, I can take these goons out-”

“There is no _time_ ,” Hanzo barks. “Hana, I am _counting_ _on_ _you_ to protect Kasumi in the medbay. We will escort you. Kasumi, keep close to us. We have three floors to go.” The girls nod and follow Jesse out into the hall. Hanzo keeps to the rear, shutting the door behind them as they start off towards the medbay. Elevators are out of the question, they have to take the service stairs up. 

There’s the sound of gunfire and then the alarms cut off as suddenly as they began. It’s not a good sign. Hanzo takes point as they go up the stairs, arm crackling with energy from his dragons. What a time to attack-- half of their offense is gone as well as both medics. Kasumi’s hands are shaking as she holds her pistol in front of her. As they reach the second floor landing Hanzo stops. “We will need to get to another staircase, this one will take us too far from the medbay.”

“There’s another set o’ stairs that’ll bring us real close. Follow me,” Jesse carefully opens the door, “Sounds like they might be up near the lab level and the hangar.” The group steps into the dark hallway. The ratta-tat-tat of automatic gunfire echoes through the building, they hope it’s coming from Torb’s turrets. Jesse guides them along back halls towards the stairs that will take them up to the medbay level. He’s rounding a corner when the explosion happens. 

The wall beside him explodes, throwing them all across the floor and bringing down sections of ceiling. Black clad men and women with glowing red LEDs on their tac gear emerge through the hole with guns drawn. Jesse doesn’t hesitate; a red crosshair burns in his eye as he brings Peacekeeper up. “ _ It’s high noon,” _ he drawls as eight men fall in as many seconds. Hana climbs from the debris and fires off three shots into the ones McCree’s Deadeye didn’t see coming from the smoke. 

“Kasumi, are you alright?” Hanzo had shielded her with his body and taken the brunt of the damage. 

“Yes,” she gasps. Her gun is gone, knocked from her hands by the explosion. “We have to move. Daddy, can you walk?” Jesse picks over to the archer and helps him to his feet. His exposed skin is already bruising and burnt. 

“Yes,” he grunts. The sound of approaching soldiers spurs them into movement- they have to take a different route now. They run into another squad of Talon agents that Hanzo sends to hell with a volley of arrows. 

Another explosion rocks the building, collapsing an exterior wall so that they have their first view of what’s happening: there is a chopper with mounted guns firing at the Watchpoint and, in the open door, a familiar blue figure. “ _ Widowmaker _ !” Jesse shouts as she takes her shot. It hits McCree in the shoulder- he moved at the last second or it might have been his head- sending him down to the ground as Kasumi shrieks in terror. 

Talon agents swarm the grounds, even as Reinhardt in full battle armor tears through their ranks with his rocket hammer and Torbjorn mans his turrets from above. Winston’s roar is a distant sound as Hana runs to Jesse, screaming his name while Hanzo aims for the sniper.

 

\--

 

Red blood blooms over Jesse-jichan’s shoulder, forms a small pool beneath his arm. Kasumi can barely hear anything over the cacophony of gunfire, shouting and machinery. Hana drops to her knees beside the cowboy to press against the wound. Her father curses in Japanese and joins the meka pilot, using his hair tie as a makeshift tourniquet. “Hana, Kasumi,  _ run!”  _ he orders. 

“I won’t leave you,” Kasumi sobs. Jesse-jichan is so pale, his arm laying at the wrong angle on the ground. Hanzo stands and grips her shoulders, leaving bloodstains on the dark blue fabric of her training gi. 

“Kasumi, I need you to be brave for me. Go with Hana to the medbay and bring back medical supplies: biotic emitters, gauze, tape.” He untangles the serape from Jesse’s shoulders, exposing the wound and making Kasumi a little woozy. “Take this, use it to carry things. Now  _ go.” _

Hana takes Kasumi by the hand and pulls her away from the scene. Her father pulls Jesse-jichan towards cover, leaving a trail of blood as the gunslinger tries to move with Hanzo. The girls duck through the dark, smoke filled hallways of the Watchpoint following the yellow line along the walls that will lead them to the medbay. Kasumi can feel energy building up under her skin as Hana shoots Talon agents along the way. The medbay feels like it’s miles away as another tremor shakes the Watchpoint. 

“What’s going to happen if they destroy the building?” Kasumi gasps as they maneuver around debris and over fallen soldiers. 

“They won’t,” Hana’s voice is firm as she leads the younger girl. “Look, there’s the medbay.” They sprint the last few hundred feet and slam the doors behind them. “Pick up anything that looks useful. Especially stuff that’s glowing yellow.” The pair separate and gather whatever will fit into the serape-turned-bag. Kasumi finds some biotic emitters that can be clipped to a belt and puts three on each hip. Hana has the serape filled with isopropanol, bandages, betadine, gauze, coflex, and a box first aid kit. 

 

\--

 

Reaper pauses when he sees two young women barrel out of the medbay. He knows from the surveillance footage that there is a non-combatant on base but surely she would have been sent to the medbay to  _ stay  _ there and lock it down. The taller girl, the meka pilot, has a familiar red serape functioning as a sack over her shoulder while the smaller, white haired Shimada girl has six biotic field emitters clipped to the fabric belt at her waist. He also notices that the serape-- Jesse’s serape--is darkly stained with blood in places… was McCree  _ hurt? _

He follows the pair through the meandering halls, slightly impressed by the amount of dead agents they pass. The Korean girl is better out of her meka than he suspected. In his ear, he hears reports that the chopper has had to pull back due to turret fire and there is a plane coming in at supersonic speeds. He tunes it out, they should be competent enough to deal with things. Right now he’s got his attention on the pair of girls hopefully leading him to his boy. 

They lead him to a corner just outside of a stairwell where they’ve blown a hole in the exterior wall. The eldest Shimada and Jesse are tucked as close to the adjacent wall as possible, out of the way of people firing outside. He gets a quick look at the chaos outside, at the troops trying to rally while Reinhardt, Winston and Torbjorn’s turrets tear through their ranks. They each have a golden, glowing orb following them that must be from the rogueShambali omnic he’d gotten reports about. 

His attention shifts back to the little group huddled in the corner. There’s an alarming amount of blood on the floor and Jesse is barely conscious as the archer applies pressure to the wound. Reaper is too much Reyes to stand by and watch him die when he could do something. He reforms, ignoring the gasps and an arrow pointed at him with bloody hands. “This is Reaper, I’m ordering a retreat. Everyone pull back.” A team leader in the stairwell kicks the door open in a fit of anger, storming over to Reaper. 

“You’ve got them _right_ _there,”_ he points at the group but doesn’t get to finish his thought as Reaper casually shoots him. The rest of the team in the stairwell creep backwards, away from the scene. 

“I said,  _ pull back.” _ he snarls into the comms. To the archer, he lowers his voice just slightly in an attempt to be less menacing, “Let me see him.”

“Absolutely not,” Hanzo growls, arm beginning to glow. Reaper rolls his eyes behind his mask, he didn’t want to have to resort to violence for McCree’s sake. He reaches out and grabs the little girl by the arm, tugging her against his chest and pointing a gun to her head. Hanzo’s face goes white. 

“Let me see him,” Reaper says again. Hanzo lowers his bow, his hands are covered in blood. The meka girl shuffles to the side with wide, terrified eyes as Reaper walks over and kneels down to assess the gunslinger. He keeps a firm grip on the child as insurance, despite how she goes a little green at the sight of the wound. His old training comes back to him-- he needs to get a biotic field on him as soon as possible, he’ll need a blood transfusion and surgery to save the shoulder. He needs Angela Ziegler or Moira O’Deorain but he has neither option right now. “What healer do you have on base?”

“Zenyatta,” Song’s voice has no tremble despite how much she’s shaking. “Angela and Lucio are off base.”

“Zenyatta,” Reaper repeats. “Is he a surgeon? Or… does he have surgical protocols?”

“I do not think so,” Hanzo’s eyes are darting between Jesse and Kasumi. “I can try to reach him from my comm…”

“Do it, you- Song- come here and help me stabilize him.” Reaper takes an emitter from the girl’s belt, pushes her back to her father, and gets to work on the cowboy. It’s a clean shot right through the shoulder, the joint is ruined. He curses under his breath as he places the emitter on Jesse’s chest and takes some betadine from the Song girl to start cleaning out the wound. His claws dissolve as he cleans around the wound and packs it to help with the bleeding. He fixes the gold sash functioning as a tourniquet, mentally preparing himself to move the cowboy without further aggravating his injury. 

Beside him, Hanzo is talking rapid-fire into his comm. “Yes- he’s been shot. Can you meet us at the medbay? We-- we are stabilizing him at the moment. No. What?” he looks up at Reaper, “Tracer is coming in supersonic with Angela and Genji. The rest of your… team… has pulled back and are retreating.” 

“Good, we need to get the cowboy to the medbay right away.” Hanzo nods. The archer isn’t in any shape to lift the cowboy so Reaper hefts Jesse over his shoulder. “Go ahead of me and keep the path clear of any stragglers.”

“You’re awfully cavalier about killing your own men,” Song mutters as she scouts ahead of them.

“Did I ask for your opinions?” Reaper growls. “Just keep going or else the gunslinger is going to bleed out on me.” 

 

\--

 

Zenyatta meets them at the medbay looking battered. If he’s surprised by Reaper carrying McCree, he doesn’t show it. Hanzo is grateful for the omnic’s lack of expression because he feels dangerously close to screaming hysterics at the situation. They get the cowboy on a gurney while Athena notes the progress of the supersonic plane over the intercom. Dr Ziegler connects remotely with Zenyatta so she can walk him through stabilizing Jesse and prepping him for surgery. All the while, the Reaper hovers ominously in the background and the girls cower away from him behind Hanzo. 

“I need to get him back to a clean area,” Zenyatta’s modulated voice is soft and he’s careful to keep his optical sensors away from the wraith in the corner. “Hanzo, I suggest spending some time with a biotic field for your injuries until I can tend to you.” They watch as Zenyatta wheels the cowboy away, deeper into the medbay and out of their sight.

Hanzo turns on the Reaper, a protective arm out over the girls. “I appreciate you helping McCree and getting him to the medbay, but if you ever threaten my child again know that I will not hesitate to kill you.”

The wraith inclines his head, “I expect no less. Keep my boy safe, archer.” He turns to twisting smoke and disappears through the vents. Hanzo won’t feel better until they’ve done a full sweep of the Watchpoint and made 100% sure that he’s gone. 

“My boy?” Hana repeats slowly, “What did he mean by  _ my boy?  _ Does Jesse  _ know _ the Reaper?” Hanzo shakes his head, mystified. 

“I have no idea.” Athena announces that not only has the supersonic jet arrived for landing, but so have local law enforcement--rounding up the Talon stragglers and making arrests. He sits heavily on a cot, pulling Kasumi into his arms as he does. She’s safe, Jesse is safe, Hana is safe… it’s all he can hold onto as his adrenaline wears off and he starts to crash. 


	17. -seventeen-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhat of a filler chapter as we begin the second emotional arc of this tale.

_ “Sometimes, there is no harm in putting off a piece of work until another day.”  _

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,_ ** **_The Little Prince_ **

 

Jesse jolts to consciousness all at once; his body attempts to lurch upright but he’s stopped by a flash of pain in his shoulder and hands on his chest attempting to push him back down. Distantly, he’s aware that someone is speaking to him but he’s certain that there is danger- there was an explosion and a sniper-  _ “ _ _ Señor, por favor, necesita calmarse. Estás a salvo aquí,” _ the voice is low and soothing, like they’re speaking to a spooked animal. Jesse turns and finds himself looking at a somewhat harried nurse speaking to him in slow Spanish.  _ “¿Hablas español?”  _

_ “Sí,” _ he answers automatically, because he  _ does  _ speak Spanish but not with this woman’s European accent.  _ “¿Dónde estoy? ¿Qué me pasó? ¿Dónde está Hanzo? ¿Donde estan los niñas?” _ The nurse looks a little overwhelmed by the rapid-fire barrage of questions. Jesse takes a moment to finally take in his surroundings: he’s in a white room that’s definitely not the Overwatch medbay with medical equipment attached to him, there is an EKG, a pulse-oximeter, hanging IV bags with their labels in Spanish, his prosthetic laying on a bedside table and the remainder of his arm is wrapped in bandages up to his chest. He also notices that there are flowers in a vase beside his arm and a card. 

A doctor sweeps in, probably altered by the commotion he’d made, with-to his surprise- Hana and Lucio. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?” Lucio is holding what looks like a bouquet made of fruits and a mylar balloon in the shape of a heart that says  _ Mejorate pronto!  _ Beside him, Hana has a tablet and what seems to be a blue blanket with a geometric pattern in light blue and teal along the edges. 

“Please, do not excite him too much,” the doctor, who's name tag reads Carols Abaroa, pulls up Jesse’s information on a holoscreen beside his bed. “Señor McCree, I am glad to see you’re awake.” 

“Please, doc,” Jesse’s head is spinning a little. “Where am I? What happened?” 

“You are in Marbella, Spain at Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella. You were injured during an attack on the old Watchpoint: Gibraltar and airlifted here for surgery and recovery. You had a traumatic injury to your shoulder and we had to reconstruct the joint. You are incredibly lucky that your companion had biotics on him otherwise you might not have survived such a traumatic injury,” he shows Jesse an x-ray of his new artificial shoulder. 

“Hanzo was discharged yesterday,” Hana sets the tablet and cloth bundle on his lap. “He wanted to stay here but we convinced him to go to the hotel and get some rest with Kasumi, Zenyatta and Genji. We’re all okay. Reinhardt and Brigette are at the UN HQ in Geneva with Jack, Ana and Angela. Torbjorn and Winston decided to stay and supervise the rebuilding of the Watchpoint and work with law enforcement to go through the security footage of the attack.” 

The gunslinger is a bit dizzy from all of the new information, “What about you and Lucio?”

“Oh that’s easy,” Lucio sets his fruit arrangement down and ties the balloon to his bed, “Hana is letting me stay with her in Korea while Gibraltar is rebuilt. I’m throwing a charity concert and she’s doing a stream to help pay for the building expenses.” 

Hana powers up the tablet, opening the news app to show Jesse the headline:  _ Public Outcry after Overwatch Watchpoint attacked by terrorist organization Talon. _ “People have been crowdfunding to pay for the medical bills and hotel accommodations. I don’t know who Winston got for Overwatch’s new PR guys but they’re really helping people rally for us. Charities are being set up and we’ve gotten tons of donations and support from all over the world.”

“All of this… for us?” Jesse is in awe of all the positive comments on the article. 

Dr Abaroa nods, “People remember Overwatch as the heroes of the Omnic Crisis. In fact, my daughter still has her old Overwatch action figures and posters.” 

Hana taps on the tablet again, “Hanzo wanted you to call once you were up. He also apologizes that your old serape was kinda… ruined… and got you this.” She lifts up the blue cloth revealing that it is, indeed, a serape. It’s deep blue with a surprisingly authentic Southwestern pattern along the edges. “I have no  _ clue  _ where he got it, but it kinda looks like your old one aside from the color.” 

“When am I getting out of here?” Jesse can feel whatever pain meds he’d been given starting to wear off.

“If you can eat something tonight and walk around a little, you’ll be able to go home tomorrow,” Dr Abaroa says after quickly consulting Jesse’s chart. “It’s around lunchtime, so I’ll have someone bring you something to eat and then Nurse Hidalgo will come to change your dressings and check up on you. There is a call button if you need someone to come sooner and your pain medication should be administered every four hours. If all goes well, I will see you tomorrow and go over your discharge instructions.” He steps out, leaving Jesse with Lucio and Hana. 

The young woman surprises him with a quick hug, mindful of his shoulder. “Lu and I are flying out tonight so we won’t see you tomorrow. Get better soon, okay? Overwatch needs its best cowboy.”

Jesse pats her back, grinning a little, “Ain’t I Overwatch’s  _ only  _ cowboy?” 

“Then you’re the best by default,” Lucio laughs. “The edible arrangement is from Angela, by the way.”

“Figured she’d be the one to sneak somethin’ healthy into a present,” Jesse reaches out and plucks a strawberry from it. “Y’all get goin’ now, no need to miss your flight on my account. Just make sure you let us all know when you’ve landed and are settled in.” The pair nod, Hana dropping a quick kiss to Jesse’s cheek and head out, chatting excitedly about their respective charity events. The cowboy sighs heavily, exhausted from all of the information he’d just been given. 

Nurse Hidalgo turns out to be an older woman with a plump, maternal figure. She’s gentle as she changes his bandages and examines the healing skin. “You are very lucky to have kept what is left of your arm. Dr Abaroa is very good at what he does.” 

“I appreciate it,” Jesse tries not to think about how close he apparently came to dying. “I, ah, was wondering though…”

“Yes?” she prompts after the silence drags on. 

“Am I gonna be able t’ shift with this new shoulder?” he finally asks. 

“Ah!” Nurse Hidalgo’s face lights up, “I understand why Dr Ziegler was so insistent that Dr Abaroa be your surgeon now. He is a specialist at joint replacement and bone repair in people afflicted with lycanthropy. You will be able to transform just like you used to once your body heals.” She gives him two white tablets. “Pain medicine. It will make you tired. Your nurse for the night shift is going to be Miss Villalobos in case you’re asleep during shift change later. Make sure you eat all of your lunch after you take the medicine or your stomach might be upset.” Jesse nods, throwing back the pills and taking a drink of water. 

Lunch turns out to be a flavorful broth that he can sip from the bowl and slices of thick bread that are not only easy on his stomach, but also filling. He props the tablet up on the little table lunch had come in on so he can call Hanzo before the medication and food put him to sleep. Jesse taps the call icon, humming as it rings. Maybe they’re out? Lord knows it’s a pretty day out and he’s sure that Marbella has plenty of touristy things to do instead of staying cooped up in a hotel room. 

As he’s contemplating leaving a message, the call connects. His screen fills with Hanzo and Genji wearing identical worried expressions. “McCree! We were just about to head over there, we were getting worried that you might not have woken up yet,” Genji looks like he wants to head over anyway. 

“Naw, don’t you worry. I’m fine. Sore, but fine. Apparently, I’m in good hands here with a lycanthropy specialist,” Jesse soothes. “Besides, I just took my pain meds a lil while ago so I might be asleep again by the time y’all get here.”

“Yes, Dr Ziegler coordinated the airlift,” Hanzo looks bruised, but otherwise fine. “She would have stayed but she felt that you would be well taken care of with Dr Abaroa and flew to Geneva with Lena.” 

“Speakin’ of, where is she? Hana dropped by but forgot to mention her.”

“Ah, she is with her fiancée in London now. Emily insisted that she come home when she saw the attack on the news,” Genji explains. “Winston reassured her that he and Torb can handle the rebuild without her there; especially since they have a whole team of builders and architects now.”

“So what are we gonna do now?” Jesse leans back into his pillows. “Presumably the Watchpoint ain’t gonna be what you’d call habitable for a while and even if it was, I don’t feel quite right stayin’ there so soon after that assault.”

Hanzo nods, “Genji and I were discussing it. Reinhardt suffered some injuries in the attack and is going to stay with the Lindholms while he recovers. Jack and Ana have been given orders by the UN to stay under a team member’s supervision with regular check ins.”

Genji pulls a face, “Angela has decided to keep them at her family’s home in Switzerland. Which means she will be unable to travel for the foreseeable future. I had been hoping… well, it does not matter now. But I must ask, Jesse, do you have a place to go?”

Jesse frowns. He’s certain that even with renewed public support of Overwatch and the UN pardoning his bounty that he probably wouldn’t be welcome in the ‘States. “I can’t say I do. I don’t want to intrude on Lena and Emily and I’m sure Ange has enough on her plate with those two old soldiers.” 

“I had been wondering if you…” Hanzo’s cheeks darken a bit. “Would you want to stay with me and Kasumi back in Japan? Our homestead is secure, nobody else knows about its location, and the community is- well, they have protected us for a long time. Genji and Zenyatta are going to stay for a little while as well, before joining Angela in Switzerland.” 

The cowboy blinks. He remembers the fight Hanzo had put up about Overwatch coming to his secluded little home and now… now he’s extending an invitation to them to  _ stay _ . “If it’s not an imposition-”

  
“Of course not,” Hanzo waves his hand. “Zenyatta, Kasumi and I will leave ahead of you to prepare the house for habitation and you can travel with Genji to Japan once you are well.”

“Doc says that I can be out of here as soon as tomorrow,” Jesse can feel the medication beginning to work. “Where are Zen and Kasumi anyway?”

Hanzo makes a pained expression. “The attack frightened her and Zenyatta suggested that perhaps an outing in a peaceful town would soothe her nerves. Or, at the very least, distract her a little. He took her down to the waterfront for lunch while Genji and I coordinated travel plans. Our things have been sent ahead to Japan by Winston so Zenyatta and I can pick them up when we arrive.”

“When will that be?” he yawns. 

“We are leaving on an evening flight tomorrow and you will follow with Genji two days later,” Hanzo sends him an email with an attachment. “Get some rest, we will come and get you before we leave.” 

 

\--

 

Hanzo is glad he had the forethought to pack up a few go-bags before evacuating the Watchpoint three days ago. He’d made sure that he and Kasumi each had several changes of clothes, their weapons and gear as well as a few sentimental items. He had fallen back into the routine of sorting through their possessions easily, already thinking of what he’d need to purchase once they got back to Japan and far from Reaper’s talons. Genji had assisted him in packing a similar bag for Jesse after making sure he was securely in the medical transport with Dr Ziegler and Zenyatta. 

He is also glad for expedited shipping, as the rest of their clothing and sentimental items are currently on their way to Japan for pickup upon his arrival later that evening. He double checks their travel itinerary and makes sure that they will have a rental car waiting at the airport. He’d chosen a small SUV since there would be so many of them. They will land in Sapporo and from there, drive inland to Eniwa where his homestead is in the shadow of Mt Eniwa. 

Beside him in bed, Kasumi is curled up like a shrimp with one hand tightly gripping the sleeve of his yukata. The attack had shaken her, though the outing yesterday with Zenyatta had lifted her spirit somewhat. Hanzo is sure that she won’t sleep well until she is back in Japan, in the one place she has always been safe. 

He taps the alarm before it’s set to go off, unwilling to wake Kasumi so early. In the other bed, Genji groans softly as he sits up. His hair is in disarray between the straps of his CPAP mask. Zenyatta’s LED array flashes twice as he rouses himself from sleep mode--it must be convenient to have an internal alarm clock, Hanzo muses. “Good morning. Genji, are you feeling up to greeting the day with me?” 

“Not really,” Genji flops back onto his pillows. He’d traveled supersonic with Lena and Angela the day of the attack and had jumped immediately into the fight, aiding law enforcement as they arrived and then did a thorough sweep of the base for any Talon stragglers or unknown tech that might be used to collect data. Hanzo knows for a fact that last night was the first night he’d slept for a continuous eight hours in three days. “What time are we getting Jesse from the hospital?”

“At around noon,” Hanzo carefully pulls his sleeve from Kasumi’s grasp. “I will get coffee and a light breakfast from downstairs. You are welcome to go back to sleep.”

Genji removes his mask and clambers over to take Hanzo’s place beside Kasumi while Zenyatta dons a casual outfit from Genji’s bag. It had been agreed upon that they should all lay low while they were away from the Watchpoint. The omnic monk places his mala in a messenger bag and, in dark jeans and a tee shirt, looks no different than any other tourist in Marbella. “I will go with you. Winston said that we should travel in groups as often as possible.” Hanzo nods and the pair head down to the lobby where there is a coffee shop and a small cafe for guests at the hotel. 

Hanzo gets himself a nonfat chai tea latte and Genji something that the cafe is calling  _ Dragon Drink  _ in a fit of whimsy. Zenyatta holds the pink concoction while Hanzo peruses the breakfast selection. “Dragonfruit, mango, and coconut milk is an interesting combination, though Genji has always liked sweet things in the time that I have known him.” 

“He has had a sweet tooth since childhood,” Hanzo muses. “Does he still hate eggs?”

“He does not prefer them,” Zenyatta looks over the menu, “But I think that the tostada with jam would be to his liking.” Hanzo orders two- one for Genji and another for Kasumi- and toast with ham, tomato and olive oil for himself. He also gets Kasumi bottled orange juice and a yogurt cup just in case she is feeling picky. 

Genji and Kasumi wake sluggishly when Hanzo and Zenyatta return. “What is that pink drink?” Kasumi eyes Genji’s drink curiously. 

“Mango, dragon fruit and coconut milk,” Zenyatta makes his and Genji’s bed while everyone else eats breakfast. 

“I was thinking,” Genji practically inhales his breakfast, “That we only packed jeans and flannels in Jesse’s go bag. He’s going to be without his arm for a while and buttons are… difficult one-handed.” 

“While you are waiting on your flight, you should take him shopping for clothes that will be easier to manage,” Hanzo says as he putters around the room, gathering his and Kasumi’s things. “I can also pick up some yukata for him in Japan. As long as someone ties it for him, he should be comfortable.” He shoots off a text to Jesse informing him that he’ll be there at noon to pick him up.  

 

\--

 

True to his word, Hanzo shows up at high noon at the hospital with Kasumi in tow. Jesse is sitting up in bed while a nurse does a final bandage change before he’s discharged. “Hey there,” Jesse’s whole face brightens at the sight of them. 

“Hello,” Hanzo deposits a bag at the foot of Jesse’s bed. “I brought you a change of clothes, since they had to cut off what you were wearing. I apologize about your serape. We tried to rescue it but I do not think the stains will come out.”

“I appreciate you gettin’ me a new one. You didn’t have to do that,” the new serape is folded neatly beside his flowers. He’d eaten the majority of the edible arrangement for breakfast, the nurses were kind enough to dispose of what was left of it. 

“Do you need help dressing Señor McCree?” the nurse asks as she finishes her bandaging. Jesse’s face turns red. Hanzo can imagine that he wouldn’t want a stranger to dress him. 

“I can assist him.” The nurse nods, shooing Kasumi to the hallway as she goes to tend to other patients. Jesse’s cheeks are still ruddy, but he looks relieved all the same. 

“I gotta warn ya, I don’t have anythin’ on under this lil gown,” he grumbles as he sits up and swings his legs over the side of the bed. 

“Then it is good that we also brought underwear,” Hanzo chuckles as he unties the gown in the back. He has dressed people before, Kasumi and Genji when they were younger and his father as his health declined. There is no embarrassment to the act as he allows Jesse to lean heavily on him to pull on his underwear and pants, though Hanzo has to button them. They had rescued his belt and signature buckle, much to the cowboy’s delight. “A serape was difficult enough to locate, I did not think I could also find such a…  _ unique  _ belt buckle in Europe.”

“Reyes got it for me as a joke after I survived my first op. I don’t think he expected me to like it as much as I do,” he grins. “But honestly, anythin’ was better’n the old Deadlock buckle I was sportin’ for a while. Well, maybe not the eagle.” 

Hanzo splutters as he fastens the belt, “An  _ eagle  _ belt buckle? You are truly an American.” 

“You should see me on Fourth of July,” his grin gets even wider, “I got an American flag serape and a special revolver that’s red, white an’ blue.” Hanzo pauses in helping McCree get his shirt on to give the cowboy a narrow-eyed glare.

“You do not have an American themed revolver.”

“I do so!” He gets one arm into the shirt easily. Hanzo is careful with his shoulder and stump, mindful that they are still sore and somewhat swollen, as he slips the shirt on the rest of the way and ties off the sleeve below the stump so it won’t dangle. “The doc said I can’t wear my arm ‘til the whole shoulder is totally healed. Says the weight will mess up the joint.” 

Kasumi peeks in, “Is it safe to come in yet?”

“Yeah, I’m decent,” Jesse calls as Hanzo buttons up his shirt. Kasumi coos at the sight and snaps a picture with her phone. “No paparazzi,” he complains half heartedly. “Did Hana put you up to takin’ embarassin’ pictures of me?”

“Nope. I just think you guys are cute,” she gives them a hundred watt smile. “But I  _ am  _ going to text it to Hana-neechan and Lucio-niichan.” Jesse groans--Hanzo is certain that the photos will be circulated all through Overwatch within just a few days, if that. “Did the doctors say you can come home with us?”

“He sure did,” Jesse hands her his arm to hold. “I called Angie to let her know that I’m headin’ to Japan with y’all so she can help me find a physical therapist.” 

“You may have to take a train into the city to find a specialist. Is there any way you can do physical therapy at home and see a general physician for wound checks?” Hanzo doesn’t want Jesse alone and vulnerable, especially not with the Reaper’s interest in him. It’s unlikely that Talon will find them in rural Hokkaido but it’s only  _ unlikely--  _ not  _ impossible _ . “I will send her a map of the area and locations of the nearest city centers. Eniwa would be the closest city, with Chitose to the south and Kitahiroshima to the north.” 

“I trust your judgement, sweet pea,” Jesse grudgingly allows Hanzo to take his bag. “You know the area better’n I do and I’m sure Angie will appreciate your input.”

“Mama was a nurse,” Kasumi pauses in her examination of Jesse’s prosthetic. “Would Jesse-jichan be going to her old clinic?”

“I was going to recommend it,” Hanzo runs a hand through her short hair. “Since they will have at least passing familiarity with lycans.”

Jesse follows them out the door, giving the nurses a little wave as they pass by their station, and down to the pharmacy. “I’m guessin’ lycanthropy ain’t a common affliction in Japan?” 

Hanzo shakes his head, “No, it’s actually fairly uncommon throughout Asia, with the exception of certain areas in China where there are wild wolf populations. Yuki and her brother were the only Japanese lycans I have ever met.” He doesn’t miss the way Jesse perks up at his mention of Yuki. He knows the gunslinger is curious about her. 

“It isn’t an  _ affliction _ ,” Kasumi takes Jesse’s hand in hers. “It’s just part of who we are.” Hanzo only half listens as they make their way down to the pharmacy. His phone dings with a text message from Genji:

_ >Otōto: How is Jesse? _

_ >Hanzo: In good spirits. He hasn’t mentioned the attack _

_ >Hanzo: i think he is trying not to scare mimichan _

_ >Otōto: probs. Do u think he remembers reaper? _

_ >Hanzo: it doesnt seem like it _

_ >Hanzo: i do not know how he will take the news _

_ >Otōto: which news? That reaper = reyes or that he saved jesse? _

_ >Hanzo: both _

_ >Otōto: we cant put off talking about it 4ever _

_ >Hanzo: we can put it off until he is several continents away from him _

_ >Otōto: if you say so. I can talk 2 him about it tonight after u leave? _

_ >Hanzo: no, i think it is something he needs to hear from both of us _

“Who are you textin’ with such a serious face, darlin’?” Jesse interrupts Hanzo’s train of thought. 

“Ah, just Genji. I was thinking that we have enough time to get lunch before Kasumi and I leave for our flight,” Hanzo holds open the pharmacy door for Jesse and Kasumi. “There is a restaurant near our hotel that we can go to once we’ve dropped your things off in the room.” 

Jesse still looks suspicious but nods, heading to the counter to pick up his pain medication, biotic pills and antibiotics. 

_ >Hanzo: We are at the pharmacy, we will be back in about 10 minutes _

_ >Otōto: OK. i still think we should talk to him _

_ >Hanzo: we will. Later _

The hotel is a short drive from the hospital and Kasumi spends the entire trip telling Jesse about home. “And we’re not far from the farmer’s market! They have sheep and an alpaca farm and there’s a place to get home-made ice cream. Nirasaki-obaasama has chickens and her family grows produce; potatoes and radishes and celery and their own chamomile tea. The community even made a little shrine in the forest to honor the guardian of the mountains. You’re going to  _ love  _ it, Jesse-jichan.” 

Hanzo chuckles, “We will need to take him to see  _ Tomato no Mori _ , as well and get some tomato ice cream.”

“Tomato ice cream?” Jesse makes a face, “I think I might pass on that one, darlin’.” The hotel lobby is bustling with tourists heading out to the beach and shopping centers. Hanzo keeps a hand on the small of Jesse’s back and a tight hold of Kasumi’s hand until they’re safely in the elevator. 

“Winston has advised that we travel in pairs as much as possible,” Hanzo is hesitant to wrap his arm around the cowboy’s waist for fear of aggravating his surgical site. “It is why Genji is staying behind to travel with you to Japan.”

Their room is on the top floor with a view of the city and two queen beds taking up the majority of the space. Genji emerges from the bathroom wearing concealer, eyeliner and little red wings of eyeshadow that are sure to melt off in the Spanish sun. His cybernetics are covered by street clothes and the overall effect makes him look somewhat smaller than he actually is. “I don’t know about you guys but I am  _ famished _ ,” he has a little map of the area in his hands. “Zenyatta says that there’s a restaurant down the street that has good reviews and is omnic friendly.”

Zenyatta hums from his spot hovering over the freshly made beds. “Most places here are welcome to omnics, but not all have so many positive reviews.” Hanzo sets Jesse’s things down on the bed he and Kasumi had shared. 

“Then I say let’s go,” Jesse grins, taking Hanzo’s hand in his. The archer’s heart flutters; he knows that they need to talk about what happened, about what Genji learned, but he can’t bring himself to say anything just yet. When they are safe they will talk and plan what to do, but for now there is lunch. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations: 
> 
> Nurse: Sir, you need to calm down. You're safe here. Do you speak Spanish?  
> Jesse: Yes. Where am I? What happened to me? Where is Hanzo? Where are the girls? 
> 
> The ballon says "Get well soon!"
> 
> Tomato no Mori: Tomato forest


	18. -eighteen-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY this took a thousand years! I had a hell month at work and some personal stuff to get through. Thank you to all of you for being so patient with this new writer

_Of course I’ll hurt you. Of course you’ll hurt me. Of course we will hurt each other. But this is the very condition of existence. To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become presence, means accepting the risk of absence._

**_―_ ** **_Antoine de Saint Exupéry, Manon, Ballerina_**

 

The homestead is just how Hanzo had left it months ago--had it really been an entire season since they’d joined with Overwatch? It felt like so much longer. Hanzo steps from the van and stretches, popping his back; after nearly 20 hours of continuous travel they are exhausted but there is still much to be done. Evening creeps in on them as Hanzo and Zenyatta remove the heavy storm shutters from the house, open the windows, air out the bedding, and check the house for any signs of vermin infestation. Kasumi unpacks their bags and makes an inventory of what food items they need to replace and purchase the next day. There is no sign of Ame, which doesn’t surprise the archer. The reclusive wolf really only stayed with them during monsoon season and winter or, once, when he became injured. 

“You have a truly beautiful home,” Zenyatta observes as he wipes the kitchen counters of dust. The blue tiled sink is original to the house, connected to a small stove and cooktop that had been added more recently by Hanzo and Ame. The wide main living space has to be divided by foldable paneled walls to create a temporary third bedroom for Zenyatta and Genji’s use. The tatami floors had been replaced by synthetic hardwood years ago and have held up well despite not being cared for in their absence. “You are off of the grid?”

“Yes, the roof has solar panels and we have a generator. Tomorrow we’ll need to clear the debris off of the panels and wipe them down,” Hanzo calls from the new third bedroom. He’s just finished airing out the futon for Genji and is in the process of making the bed while Kasumi moves the small spare clothes dresser into the room for Genji to use. “We will make a supply run into town tomorrow for food and other odds and ends.” 

Their boxes had been waiting at the airport and are still sitting on the engawa waiting to be opened and unpacked. Hanzo makes a note to buy a desk light for Genji’s room as well as a more traditional bed for his own. Jesse would not be used to sleeping on a futon on the floor, after all, and he doesn’t want to aggravate his injury with unnecessary bending up and down. Kasumi stands with her hands on her hips in the doorway looking between the living room and the bedroom. “We can take the blanket off of the kotatsu and put it in Genji-jichan’s room. He needs a table.”

Hanzo grunts as he tugs in a second futon for Zenyatta’s use- Hanzo feels weird about the monk just sitting on the _floor_ while Genji has a proper bed. “Why does Genji need a table?”

“I dunno, the room just seems empty. What if he wants to work on something in private?” 

Zenyatta steps in with a bundle of sheets and pillows in his arms, “Genji has always enjoyed letter writing and calligraphy. I think he would make use of a small table. I am sure he will want to tell Angela about the beauty of this place.” Hanzo takes the bedding with a small smile.

“Are you certain that you don’t need a more substantial blanket? It can get chilly at night, especially since you all have access to the engawa,” Hanzo frets as they make the bed. The inner shoji are not terribly insulating; as he well knows from his first winter living with Yuki, after which he and Ame installed double-paned exterior fusuma to provide extra insulation without sacrificing the view of what used to be the front yard and vegetable plots. Hanzo also installed all weather curtains in a blue and gold seigaiha pattern along the length of the engawa for privacy after an incident involving Nirasaki-obaasan visiting unexpectedly and he and Yuki in a _compromising_ position. All in all, Zenyatta and Genji would probably be fine even if it gets cold in the coming nights but still he _worries_. 

“I assure you, we will be fine. If we get chilly we can pull the drapes closed over the windows or shut the shoji,” Zenyatta soothes. “Now, it is late and I think we all need to rest. We will have an early day tomorrow.” The monk shoos the Shimadas out of the room and, firmly but politely, slides the door shut behind them. 

“It is late,” Hanzo sighs, wiping a hand down his face. “Is your bedroom mostly livable?”

Kasumi nods as she gives in to a tongue-curling yawn. “Yes, I have the futon down and it’s all made, the desk and dresser can be dusted tomorrow.” Hanzo presses a kiss to her forehead and they head to bed. 

His bedroom is one of two near-identical rooms in the rear of the house backed up to the woods. The double futon he used to share with Yuki and a much younger Kasumi is laid out in the center of the room and piled with pillows and thick blankets to keep out the encroaching fall chill. There is a desk by the window and bookshelves lining the walls on either side of the bed. On the topmost shelf he places the photos he brought from the Watchpoint: a family portrait at a cherry-blossom viewing party with all three of them in kimono, a candid of Yuki sitting on the couch reading a novel, Kasumi at Holi covered in paint and, the most recent, a photo of Jesse stretched out on the common room couch giving the camera finger guns. It had been taken by Hana and he’d printed and framed it to add to his small collection of physical photographs. He, of course, has hundreds more photos downloaded on a secure drive but _these_ are his favorites. 

Hanzo takes the time to unpack his go-bag, hanging his clothes neatly in the closet or otherwise folded in the dresser. The familiar routine of unpacking settles his nerves. They are _safe_ here. He changes into sleep clothes and slides into the fresh, cool sheets. Despite his exhaustion he finds himself tossing and turning until, about an hour later, Kasumi pads into the room and tucks herself into bed beside him.

 

\--

 

Back in Marbella, Jesse is seriously regretting going shopping with Genji. The cyborg had noticed that the only clothes in his bag that Hanzo (lovingly) packed had buttons and he was down an arm, meaning that Genji had to help him button his pants and shirt that morning. “I love you Jesse, you’re like a brother to me, but I really don’t want to be in such close proximity to your crotch again if I can help it.” So, after breakfast, he’d been dragged to the closest shopping mall to find clothes that he could manage without help. 

“What about this?” Genji holds up _yet another_ ugly tracksuit, this time black with emerald green racing stripes down the legs. 

“Not in your wildest dreams,” Jesse scoffs as he peruses a rack of sweatpants and athletic wear. “Honestly, once we’re in Japan I’m sure Hanzo will be perfectly willing to help me out. I only need like, _two_ outfits max.” 

“I don’t want to think about my brother dressing and undressing you,” Genji makes a face. “What does _Papi Chulo_ mean?” Jesse snorts and shakes his head. “Wait, can you bathe? Like, you’re going to want to shower before we leave tomorrow right?”

The cowboy pauses. “The doc said I can’t get my bandages wet for a week and the nurses gave me a lil bit of a bird bath at the hospital. Stop makin’ that face, I’m not gonna ask you to help me in the shower. Maybe let’s pick up some dry shampoo and wipes so I’m not offendin’ everyone on the plane.” 

“Good idea,” the cyborg holds up a tee shirt with a pineapple and flamingo pattern. “Too tropical?”

“Genji I am not wearin’ florals or fruits or neon colors so mosey on to another section,” Jesse’s patience is wearing thin as the pain medication wears off. He drops two pairs of athletic pants into the basket. “I’ll still need help gettin’ stuff on and off, though. They said I can’t move my shoulder for a month.”

“You will be bandaged up for a whole month?” Genji frowns at him, “Even I know that it needs to breathe to heal.” 

“Nah, the bandages come off in a week but they gave me a special sling to hold my stump still without coverin’ the incisions.” He finds two lightweight long sleeve shirts to complete his shopping trip. However, Genji insists that he also get more comfortable slip on shoes to wear instead of his boots. As tired as he is by the outing, he has to agree that his beloved boots aren’t the best things to wear when he’s an arm down. 

“You also need house shoes. Something with a soft sole that is only for indoor wear,” Genji helps Jesse tug off one boot to try on a soft, slip on sneaker. “Hanzo will probably have gotten you some winter wear since he knows your clothing size.”

“Y’all don’t need to do all that,” he complains as Genji gets another shoe. “I can handle the cold just fine.”

“There’s going to be snow up to your knees in the winter, plus you’re not going to be able to get all furry to stay warm. I think this shoe is good, what do you think?” Genji sits back on his haunches to get a better look as Jesse stands to test the feel. 

“S’good. And now we can jus’ get a pair of slippers and whaddya say to seein’ if we can find a burger around here?” They agree on a pair of red wool slippers with a faux fur lining and manage to find a restaurant that serves cowboy-approved cheeseburgers. 

 

\--

 

After being in a plane for the better part of sixteen hours, Jesse is eager to finally land in Japan. During his time in Blackwatch, and again on his solo travels after the Fall, he’d visited the Land of the Rising Sun a few times. He has a passing familiarity with the language, though he lets Genji be his translator as he’s too tired to remember much of his Japanese. The New Chitose Airport in Sapporo is packed with locals and tourists alike with many using it as a connector to the rest of Japan. Jesse follows Genji through the terminal, taking in the many stores selling everything from souvenirs to luggage and travel accessories all with big happy logos and bright colors. 

Down in baggage claim, their bags are circling on the conveyor belt and Zenyatta is waiting for them. Genji waves when he catches sight of the omnic (dressed down in a mens’ style kimono and knit cap), “Master! It is good to see you. Where is Hanzo? I was hoping we could, ah, _talk_ on the way to the homestead.” Genji inclines his head slightly towards the cowboy. 

Zenyatta pauses in the middle of picking up their bags, “He and Kasumi are finishing unpacking and have gone on a grocery run, they will meet us at home. You did not-- _talk_ during the flight?”

“No, there were too many ears,” Genji hefts their luggage into the back of their nondescript silver SUV. 

“Talk about _what?”_ Jesse snaps, feeling left in the dark. At the hotel last night Genji had been cagey and during the flight he’d been jumpier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. “We could have talked at the hotel. We had plenty of time alone there.”

“I wanted Hanzo there for the conversation,” Genji’s posture stiffens defensively. 

“What do we need to talk about that _requires_ Hanzo?”

“Why don’t we have this _discussion_ on the road?” Zenyatta’s voice is tense. “We are going to attract unwanted attention if we linger here much longer.” Jesse and Genji grudgingly agree and get into the car. Zenyatta puts in the coordinates to the homestead and turns in his seat to better see Jesse in the passenger seat and Genji in the back. 

“I _wanted_ to talk about what happened at the Watchpoint,” Genji says without preamble. “But then you were hurt and in surgery for days, then you didn’t seem to _remember_ anything that happened and I didn’t want to push before you were ready but-”

“I remember plenty,” Jesse growls. “It seems to me like you’ve been putting this off for long enough. What are you hiding from me? Don’t-- I know you’re keeping something from me.” 

“Do you remember anything that happened after you were shot by Widowmaker?” Genji wrings his hands, if he had cuticles he’d be destroying them judging by the amount of nervous energy pouring off of him. 

That gives Jesse pause. “Not much. I think I went into shock from the pain pretty quickly.” His shoulder aches just thinking about it. Genji nods, like he was expecting that answer.

“This is why I wanted Hanzo here… because according to _him_ , The Reaper ordered the retreat of his own men, performed field aid on you and carried you to the medbay himself.” Jesse’s blood runs cold. _What?_

“I met you all in the medbay, it’s true. The Reaper carried you in and without his quick intervention you might have died, Jesse,” Zenyatta says into the silence. “The decision to split up for our safety was made while you were recovering from surgery and it was decided that Japan would be the safest place for you because, theoretically, it is the farthest from the Reaper that we can get you.”

“Hanzo didn’t want to tell you until you were safe,” Genji takes off his mask and helmet to rake his fingers through his hair. “He was afraid-- _we_ are _all_ afraid--that Reaper has a _special interest_ in you.” 

“But why?!” Jesse looks between Genji and Zenyatta. “Why would Reaper save me? Why would he have any interest in me at all outside of killing me? It doesn’t make any sense. What makes _me_ special?”

“Because he’s _Reyes,”_ Genji blurts into the thick silence following Jesse’s desperate questions.

Jesse’s entire world comes screeching to a halt. Reaper is Reyes? Impossible. That was impossible because Gabriel Reyes _died_ in Zurich. “That… that’s not…”

“It’s been confirmed by Ana and Jack,” Zenyatta says softly. “I am afraid that there is little doubt that the Blackwatch Commander survived the explosion the same way Jack Morrison did.”

“But he’s-- why is he working with _Talon?”_ Jesse gasps, tears blurring his vision. “Things were rough in Blackwatch near the end-- I knew there was something wrong with him but he was never… _never_ a _terrorist.”_

“Jack and Ana haven’t been able to shed any light on _why_ he’s changed sides, but they both agree that whatever he is now… it’s _wrong_ , somehow. No longer completely human,” Genji’s voice is quiet. “I’m so sorry you had to find out this way, Jesse.” The cowboy shakes his head; he can’t wrap his mind around this new information. He knew that old Blackwatch operatives were working for Talon now--might have been working for Talon the _whole time_ , even--but he never would have thought that the corruption went all the way up to _Gabe_. 

And if the corruption _did_ go up to the top then why had Jesse been spared? Gabe had never once tried to recruit Jesse to Talon _or_ pushed him to go against Overwatch. _Surely_ if Gabe had been a traitor, he would have tried to corrupt Jesse as his second-in-command. He wouldn’t have given McCree his freedom and told him to run. 

He turns away from Genji and Zenyatta; he needs time to _think_ . He needs to talk to Jack and Ana. He needs to punch Jack in the face. How many _more_ secrets were being kept from him? What else were the old soldiers hiding? Worse, Jesse seethes, Hanzo _knew_ and deliberately hid it from him for _days_. 

 

\--

 

The car takes them along a main highway that runs adjacent to passenger hover trains through rolling green hills, picturesque forests, bustling cities filled with modern architecture and ancient Shinto and Bhuddist shrines and small towns where children in sailor uniforms wave at the passing commuters. Unlike in Southern Japan with its sprawling urban metropolis, public transportation in this area of Hokkaido seems mostly to be done through hover trains and hover buses rather than the high-speed lightning rails and subway systems that are found in Tokyo. 

Eniwa sprawls out in the cradle of several mountains with two rivers cutting meandering paths through the city. They pass a shopping district that boasts their selection of locally grown and cut flowers, organic vegetables and rice. There are fall vegetables and fat gourds on display for groups of men, women and omnics carrying bulging bags and trailing wagons behind them loaded down with their purchases. 

The car navigates away from the interior of the city and out towards acres of surrounding farmland in the shadow of a great mountain. Zenyatta points out a dairy farm that is apparently family run and sells homemade cheese and ice cream as well as fresh milk and an alpaca ranch where Hanzo bought him yarn and a lovely wool haori made from the animals’ super-soft fibers. “They also have meat rabbits and angora rabbits on another farm down that way. A lovely woman, Nirasaki Takara-san, came by and gave us several bags of rice from her fields and two cartons of eggs. She has the nicest chickens--mostly egg layers, though they do eat some as well.” 

They hadn’t been kidding about Hanzo’s homestead being up in nature-- it’s the last house a ways up the mountainside with woods surrounding it and a dirt driveway. Halfway up, they’d had to go from auto to manual driving mode as the GPS lost track of their location and the anti-grav pads had some trouble navigating the rock and gravel path up to the house. 

The yard is overgrown with tall grasses and wildflowers; Jesse can smell wildlife as he exits the car--rabbits, deer, mice, all sorts of other small animals. He wishes he could shift and follow every scent trail into the woods and explore the mountain. As a breeze sweeps through the clearing he catches another smell: a male wolf. _Mamiya_ _Ame_ , the mysterious uncle who mostly went feral. 

Hanzo emerges from around the back of the house carrying a small toolbox, grease smeared on a white tee shirt and his hair in a messy bun. “Sorry, I was trying to get the lawn mower working. It seems like I might need to borrow one from a neighbor,” he sets the tools down by the front entrance and wipes his face with the hem of his dirty shirt, leaving dark smudges of grease on his forehead. “Kasumi is out in the woods right now but she’ll be back soon.” 

Jesse stands a little awkwardly to the side as Genji and Zenyatta unload the car. “What kind of ‘mower do you got? I can probably help a little with it.” They need to talk; _he_ needs to talk to Hanzo about the Reaper situation and set up a satellite call with Jack and Ana. But… but Hanzo looks so _happy_ to see him and after the long car ride his anger has fizzled out a little bit. 

He tried to stay mad at Hanzo and Genji for shuffling him across the world and keeping the truth about Reaper from him but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If Reaper had a special interest in him, the farther away and more hidden he was, the better. It made _sense_ to lay low until his injuries were healed. He also couldn’t necessarily fault Genji for wanting to have had their earlier conversation with Hanzo present--after all, Hanzo had been a _witness_ to what happened and most likely has his own thoughts about it as well as his own reasons for delaying sharing what had happened.

“I’ve been in touch with Dr Ziegler,” Hanzo wags a finger at him, derailing his train of thought. “You can look _only_ , no hard labor.”

“Yessir,” the cowboy follows Hanzo around the back of the house to a shed nearly hidden in the shade of the woods. Inside is an honest-to-gods _gas powered_ generator, two bicycles, a rusty set of gardening tools, plastic storage boxes of what look like holiday decorations (he can’t read the faded kanji on the sides), and in the center of it all a red riding lawn mower with duct tape going up the middle of the hood and real rubber wheels. “Lord have mercy, how old _is_ this thing?” 

“An antique, probably,” Hanzo props the hood open. “It’s been fitted to run on a solar battery like the old Jeep in the garage out front but it’s probably past its time to retire. Tenoh-san and her wife have a newer model that I’m sure they wouldn’t mind letting me borrow…” 

“Nah, I bet we can get this old thing running, I worked on all kinds of solar-fitted antiques back in my misspent youth.” Jesse leans over the engine, mindful of his bad arm and Hanzo’s watchful eye. 

“You mean you _didn’t_ go everywhere on horses?” the archer teases. 

“Hush, you. I’m guessing the connection to the solar battery is bad or the motivator is dead. Either way’ll prob’ly require a trip into town for parts,” he glances up at Hanzo over the hood of the mower. “By the way… I spoke with Genji and Zenyatta on the drive in about what happened after I passed out during the Watchpoint attack.”

Hanzo goes still beside him, “Did you?”

“Mm, I’m a little upset that y’all didn’t sit down and discuss everything with me right away. I was more upset earlier, but I got to thinkin’ that you had your reasons and I ought to hear them first before getting worked up about it.” Jesse keeps his voice even, “Genji told me what he knows, and I wanna set up a call with the old soldiers sometime soon so we can all air everythin’ out. I appreciate that you wanted t’ protect me, but _please_ ,” he turns to place a hand over Hanzo’s “don’t keep me in the dark like that again.” 

Hanzo opens his mouth to reply, but is cut off as Kasumi comes barrelling out of the woods to greet everyone. He squeezes Jesse’s hand, “We can continue this later?” Jesse nods and the pair slip out of the shed and into the yard where Genji and Kasumi are playfully roughhousing in the grass. 

 

\--

 

For many years, the only visitors Hanzo had at the homestead were Ame and, occasionally, the neighbors. Now, however, the house is full and it’s somewhat surreal to be in his kitchen with his _brother_ making an early dinner while his--boyfriend? Lover?--cowboy sits at the table with his daughter and Zenyatta. He is still a little tense from their talk in the shed, but Jesse truly seems to not be angry with them (at least, not angry anymore). They had agreed to talk later, once Kasumi had been put to bed. 

“What are y’all makin’ over there?” Jesse wanders into the kitchen where Hanzo is working on two pans-- one frying rice with tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, carrots and peas and the other simmering a brown sauce that smells like beef, more onions and mushrooms, red wine and tomato paste. Beside him, Genji is working on fluffy scrambled eggs with melted cheese. 

“Omuhayashi,” Hanzo dips a spoon in the brown sauce for Jesse to taste. “It’s comfort food. All of the vegetables are from the farmer’s market in town and the Nirasaki family was gracious enough to provide us with rice and fresh eggs.” The sauce is savory, sweet and tangy- like a cross between a sloppy joe and boeuf bourguignon. 

“Hanzo has such generous neighbors,” Zenyatta gets a stack of plates from the cupboard and sets them beside the brothers on the counter. “The milk and cheese are from that dairy farm we passed on the way in.”

“Higurashi-san’s cows always seem to produce enough milk that he can afford to share.” Hanzo puts a neat stack of rice on a plate, covers it in sauce, and hands it to Genji so he can place a heap of scrambled egg over the top of the whole thing. “His wife, Yuzuki, is a large animal vet. She cares for their herd as well as Tenoh-san’s alpacas and rabbits.” 

Kasumi eagerly drums the tabletop, “I was texting Sumomo-chan earlier and she said we should go to Tenoh-san’s farm to see the alpacas that were born this past spring. She said they’re all starting to get fat for the winter.” 

“Only if Tenoh-san and her wife say yes,” Hanzo sets a plate in front of her. Genji expresses interest in seeing the alpaca ranch as well, since apparently there had been a few similar operations in Nepal as the animals are well-suited to living in cold climates and high elevation and he launches into a story about a time when he was wrangled into helping shear a group of unruly animals for Kasumi while they set the table. 

The food is good: starchy from the rice and savory-sweet from the brown sauce and cheesy eggs. Zenyatta pulls out a skein of yarn from somewhere in his kimono and begins to crochet at the end of the table. The whole scene is… domestic. Tranquil. 

After dinner, Hanzo shows Jesse to the bathroom where there is a large traditional style soaking tub, a small shower and an open area with a plastic bucket and low stool. The tile floor curves slightly inward towards a drain and there is a small lip separating the drying/changing area and the wet/washing area. On a low shelf are bottles of shampoo and conditioner with labels he can’t read and more bottles in the shower stall. Beside the tub is a caddy with bath toys and, away from the wet area, a linen closet filled with towels and washcloths. “Is your arm allowed to get wet?” 

“Not yet. I’ve been doin’ my best with birdbaths and wet wipes,” he can feel his face coloring. “I forgot how much of a pain it is to be down an arm.” 

Hanzo hums, “You will feel better once you’re properly clean. If you want, I can assist you; wash your hair and your back.” The thought of someone else washing him like a child is embarrassing. Jesse _wants_ to say no, that he’s a grown man and he doesn’t need the help, but his hair is getting oily and his scalp itches something fierce and, really, it’s not the _first_ time he’d had a sponge bath given to him. 

“If it’s not too much trouble,” he mumbles as Hanzo turns on the water to fill the tub. 

“It is no trouble at all. I bathed Kasumi and Genji when they were little, Yuki on her long call days and when she was sick, and my father near the end of his life. I will take good care of you, Jesse. I can take your clothes to the laundry bin and bring back something fresh to wear if you do not mind setting the water temperature for yourself.” Jesse nods and together they peel off his travel clothes. His arm is stiff and sore from surgery and being forced to keep it immobile for so long; he’ll probably need another dose of pain medication soon. Hanzo explains how to work the temperature for the tub (left for cool and off, right for warm and hot) and leaves him to get fresh clothes.

Jesse gingerly lowers himself onto the little stool. Goosebumps rise on his skin while he waits for the steam from the water to warm the room. The last time he’d had someone bathe him had been when he lost his arm on a mission. He’d been on powerful painkillers and biotics so his memories are fuzzy, but he _does_ remember _begging_ that he be allowed the dignity of washing and relieving himself. Reyes had been the one to order the medical staff to give Jesse as much privacy as they could while still maintaining standards of care and cleanliness. He shakes himself from the bad memories when he hears the door slide open and the soft click of Hanzo’s prosthetics on the tile.

“I brought you pajamas. I, ah, I hope you do not mind that I took the liberty of making a few purchases for you while I was preparing for your arrival.” His ears are adorably pink as he holds up the clothes for Jesse’s approval. The top is styled like a kimono in brick red with a brown collar and brown sash to tie it closed with matching red pants. The outfit actually matches very well with the house shoes he and Genji bought in Spain (which are lined up neatly beside the bathroom door). “It will be getting cold soon and I was not sure if you had warm enough loungewear or casual clothes suited for snow.”

“Well, you know red is my color,” he gives Hanzo a lopsided grin as the other man folds the outfit and sheds his own clothes. He walks over and Jesse keeps his gaze waist-up as Hanzo leans over to check the temperature of the bath water and fill the small bucket with warm water from the tub. Even though they’re both naked and about to get wet, he can’t find it in himself to be too aroused by the situation. He blames how helpless he feels. 

Hanzo picks a cup from the toy caddy and uses it to control where the water goes as he wets Jesse’s hair and body. His strong, calloused hands are surprisingly gentle as he works shampoo into his damp hair and massages his scalp. While his hair is being washed, Jesse tries to use a wet washcloth and a bar of soap to scrub his front but he finds himself leaning into Hanzo’s touch; tipping his head back as the archer tenderly rinses the lather from his hair. Hanzo dips the cup into the tub for more water as he combs his fingers through Jesse’s wet curls and makes sure all the suds are gone. 

He takes the soap and washcloth from Jesse’s limp hands, working up a lather in the soft damp cloth so he can gently scrub the day’s travel from the cowboy’s skin. Hanzo works out the tension in the muscles of Jesse’s back and shoulders while he washes him. Jesse zones out for a little while and simply allows the other man to wash his good arm, his legs and rub his feet (that he didn’t even realize were sore). 

“Jesse?” Hanzo’s voice startles him back to reality. 

“Huh?” 

“I asked if you were okay, it is rather warm in here,” Hanzo squeezes his good hand.

“I’m doin’ okay,” Jesse leans in to press his head against Hanzo’s. “But I _am_ a lil warm.”

“Let me rinse you with some cool water and I will open the bedroom window,” he presses a soft kiss to the tip of Jesse’s nose. The sun is starting to dip towards the horizon by the time they’re mostly dry and dressed down in comfortable clothes. 

In the living room, Kasumi, Genji and Zenyatta are piled on the couch watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. Kasumi is still very much awake but her poor uncle is starting to drift off. Jesse can relate-- after that dinner, the warm wash, and being awake for nearly twenty four hours he’s ready to hit the hay. Even though he had wanted to stay up and talk tonight, his body is ready to tap out. 

“Kasumi,” her father leans down over the back of the couch to drop a kiss on the top of her head. “Jesse and I are going to bed. Don’t stay up too late.”  

Genji gives into a jaw-cracking yawn and stretches. “I’m going to bed, too. I’m exhausted.” Kasumi huffs a little but bids them goodnight as they head to their respective bedrooms. Only Zenyatta stays with her, promising to stay up until at least nine. 

 

\--

 

Three AM finds the gunslinger slipping out of bed and padding to the kitchen in pain. His shoulder throbs in time with his heartbeat as he opens the fridge for something to take with his painkillers. The little orange bottle rattles in his shaking fist as he curses Widowmaker for her impeccable aim and Hanzo for being a health nut and not having any premade food that he can just heat up and take with his medicine. He also curses the medicine _itself_ for needing to be taken with food; normally he ignores most warnings on prescription labels but he would rather not tear up his stomach and vomit up his only source of pain relief. He is so busy with his internal tirade that he doesn’t notice Hanzo come into the room until the archer is literally right beside him. 

“You look terrible,” Hanzo takes Jesse’s good arm and gently steers him to the table. “I am guessing that the bottle says to take with food?” The gunslinger nods. “It was that way with my legs,” Hanzo pours him some milk. “The milk will coat your stomach.”

“Thank you,” Jesse had forgotten that Hanzo has gone through this, too. He glances down at the archer’s legs as he putters around the kitchen. Hanzo’s prosthetics are state of the art, probably installed in a hospital by the finest doctors--unlike Jesse’s arm which had been put on by whatever black-ops sawbones that Overwatch employed prior to Dr O’Deorain. They look lightweight but sturdy, built with athletics in mind, and taper down to delicate ankles and small feet ( _Little rabbit feet_ , he thinks) that were often fitted with claws on missions for scaling walls. “You don’t need to make me anything.”

“Milk will help, but it is still best to have food in your stomach. Besides, tamagoyaki is quick and easy,” Jesse wonders if Hanzo _likes_ cooking. He watches as Hanzo mixes 4 eggs, salt, soy sauce and mirin into a little bowl and then, in an odd rectangular pan, starts the process of making the classic rolled omelette. He even slices it for Jesse into neat, bite sized pieces. 

“Thank you,” the cowboy hasn’t been this cared for in a long time. The eggs are good, slightly sweet. He wonders how they’d taste with ketchup. 

“I... wanted to- to apologize,” Hanzo has his back to Jesse while he washes the few dishes he’d dirtied. “You were right earlier, I should not have hidden what happened from you. My reasons…” he turns to look at Jesse, “I was _afraid_ . When the girls came back from the medbay, the Reaper followed and when I tried to protect you he put a _gun_ to Kasumi’s head. I couldn’t do _anything--_ he could have _killed you_ and I was paralyzed with _fear.”_  

Jesse stands up, mindless of the ache in his shoulder, and wraps his good arm around Hanzo. “Hey. Calm down, now. It’s okay.” The smaller man is trembling as he leans into Jesse’s one-armed embrace. “I didn’t know he threatened your baby like that; you were put in a bad position. _Nobody_ would expect you to risk her life.”

“I should have done _something_ . We got lucky this time, but who knows if Reaper will be so benevolent the next time we run into him?” Hanzo looks up at Jesse, “I had to get you away from him. I had to get _all of us_ as far from that-- that _creature_ as possible. I am sorry that I hid his true identity from you, I am sorry that I hid his involvement from you--”

“But you were scared,” Jesse rests his cheek on Hanzo’s head. “It’s not… it’s not _okay_ , but I understand. We'll get through this, we'll figure it out." 


End file.
